1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage sells for $4.24M at Pebble Beach, a world record
A 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage sold for $4.24 million at Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach Auctions 2026, setting a world record for the model.
- $4.24 million
- $3–4 million
- ~200
- 17
What Happened
A 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage has sold for $4.24 million at Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach Auctions 2026 in California on 14 August. According to the auction house, the price is a new world record for the Maserati Tipo 61 model. The car, with bodywork by Allegretti, exceeded its pre-auction estimate of between approximately $3 million and $4 million.
Designed by engineer Giulio Alfieri, the Birdcage featured a revolutionary lattice frame made of roughly 200 steel tubes, each just 10-15 mm in diameter, welded to resemble a birdcage. This made the two-seater barchetta exceptionally rigid and lightweight, representing one of the most advanced front-engine, rear-wheel-drive designs of its time.
The Tipo 60 is built with a compact two-litre four-cylinder engine producing 200 hp.
The car evolves into the Tipo 61 with a 2,890 cc engine producing 250 CV at 6,800 rpm.
A Tipo 61 wins the Nürburgring 1000 km with Stirling Moss and Dan Gurney.
A Tipo 61 wins the Nürburgring 1000 km again with Masten Gregory and Lloyd Casner.
A 1959 Tipo 61 sells for $4.24 million at Pebble Beach Auctions.
$4.24 millionUSD
New world record for a Maserati Tipo 61 at auction.
- 2.0 litres vs 2,890 cc
- 200 hp vs 250 CV at 6,800 rpm
- 570 kg vs 600 kg
Only 17 units of the Tipo 61 were produced, making it one of the rarest and most sought-after racing Maseratis of its generation. Its innovative chassis, strong performance, and two Nürburgring victories established it as one of the best-known sports cars of its era. The Pebble Beach result carries special significance in 2026, exactly a century after Alfieri Maserati's debut with the Tipo 26 at the Targa Florio on 25 April 1926, the first Maserati to bear the Trident.
Why this matters
The record price underscores the enduring value of Maserati's racing heritage, as the Birdcage was one of the most advanced sports cars of its era and won the Nürburgring 1000 km twice. The sale lands in the year Maserati marks 100 years of racing, linking past victories to present-day collector demand.
Terms in This Story
- Barchetta
- An Italian term for a small, open-top, two-seater sports car.
- De Dion axle
- A type of rear suspension that reduces unsprung weight by mounting the differential to the chassis.
- Torsional rigidity
- The resistance of a structure to twisting; high rigidity improves handling.
- CV
- Cavalli vapore, an Italian unit of power roughly equivalent to horsepower.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.