Privateer Bruce Halford took part in the epic 1957 German Grand Prix, finishing 11th in his Maserati 250F. It was one of my duties to convey Bruce’s Maserati around the Continent in a converted Royal Blue AEC coach. This particular saga began at the Maserati factory in Modena, where I was preparing the car, initially for the non-championship Grand Prix de Caen. The 250F fully ready, I set off for France, but as I was coming over Montgènevre, between Susa and Briançon, a big end started rattling in the coach’s engine. In the latter town there was a garage that I knew, this being a regular route of mine. I decided to coast down the pass into the town despite the fact that coach’s footbrake worked off a vacuum servo system from the engine. I only remembered this when, a few hundred yards on, I came to the first of many bends. I dare not run the engine not knowing at the time exactly what was wrong and so proceeded forth with only the mechanical hand brake between myself and possible catastrophe!
Tony RobinsonPhoto: Ian Wagstaff
Somehow, I arrived at a lorry park in Briançon having avoided disaster and, alone, set about removing the coach’s sump. By the time I had ascertained the cause of the problem there appeared to be little time to arrange alternative transport to get to Caen on time. Failure to appear, though, was not an option. Bruce was dependent on the money that he would receive for racing there to pay for the Maserati’s overhaul. The outcome of the race would also decide whether he would be accepted for the German Grand Prix the following week.
