Maserati
8CTF

Why it matters

The 8CTF was Maserati's 3-litre supercharged Grand Prix car for the 1938 formula. In the United States it won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940 with Wilbur Shaw, the first Indy win for an Italian car.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Maserati 8CTF (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: David Merrett · CC BY 2.0
• Maserati 8CTF (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: David Merrett from Daventry, England · CC BY 2.0
• Maserati 8CTF (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Neil · CC BY 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Built in 1938 after Adolfo Orsi bought the company, the 8CTF used a fixed-head ('testa fissa') supercharged straight-eight, which gave the type its name, in a frame derived from the 6CM. In Europe it was fast but unreliable, though Paul Pietsch finished third in the German Grand Prix. Two cars were sold to Lucy O'Reilly Schell and taken to America, while Mike Boyle bought the third car and a spare engine for Wilbur Shaw, who won at Indianapolis in 1939 and 1940. Louis Unser won Pikes Peak in an 8CTF in 1946 and 1947, and the type was retired in 1954; car 3032 is displayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The name stands for "8 Cilindri Testa Fissa" (eight cylinders, fixed head). The engine is a three-litre supercharged eight with its cylinders cast in one block with a fixed head, fed by two Roots superchargers with a separate carburettor group for each bank of four cylinders. The car that won at Indianapolis in 1939 and 1940 raced as the Boyle Special and is displayed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1938 Maserati 8CTF Specifications - Ultimatecarpage.com Level C

   • 3 "3 + 1 engine"

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1938 Maserati 8CTF - Images, Specifications and Information Level C Wouter Melissen · Ultimatecarpage.com · 2011-05-26

   • all three cars survive

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1938 Maserati 8CTF Specifications Level C Wouter Melissen · Ultimatecarpage.com · 2011-05-26

   • straight-eight, front, longitudinal; twin Roots-type superchargers
   • 2,991 cc
   • 365 bhp / 272 kW @ 6,300 rpm
   • 4-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
   • 290 km/h (180 mph)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   1938 Maserati 8CTF Level C Supercars.net

   • 69 mm / 100 mm
   • front brakes Hydraulic Drums
   • finished off with an aluminium body similar to that of the 6CM
   • 1359 mm / 53.5 in

   Accessed 2026-11-13
5. 5
   8CTF (heritage monoposto page, Italian) Level A Maserati

   • due valvole per cilindro disposte a V di 90 gradi, due assi a camme in testa
   • due carburatori Memini MA12 a monte dei compressori
   • forzata con due compressori Roots
   • a ruote indipendenti, barre di torsione, ammortizzatori a frizione e barra stabilizzatrice
   • balestre, ammortizzatori a frizione e idraulici e barra stabilizzatrice
   • Passo 2720 mm
   • Lunghezza 4100 mm
   • Larghezza 1520 mm
   • Altezza 1100 mm
   • Peso a secco 780 kg

   Accessed 2026-11-13