The Maserati 450S (Tipo 54) is a Sports prototype produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati for participating in FIA's endurance World Sportscar Championship racing. A total of nine were made.
Development of the 450S started in 1954 under the codename Tipo 54 led by Vittorio Bellentani and Guido Taddeucci. Their intent was to use larger engines than those then used by Maserati.
The initial development began with the engine, which was a 4477 cc short-stroke V8 with four 45 IDM Weber carburetors mounted between the Vee, a bore x stroke of 93.8mm x 81mm and double overhead camshafts rated at 400 hp at 7,200 rpm.[1]
The Tipo 54 project was shelved in 1955 after a catastrophic crash at Le Mans. In early 1956, Tony Parravano, a wealthy American housing developer, commissioned Maserati to build a new large-bore V8 engine for use in a Kurtis Indy chassis. This prompted Maserati to start working on the Tipo 54 project once again. A 350S chassis numbered 3501 was selected for testing the new engine and was elongated in order to accommodate the engine. Valerio Colotti designed the tubular frame for the chassis. The independent front suspension with double wishbones and coil-springs were retained but a much reinforced de Dion rear-end, based around a new five-speed transaxle were added. This transaxle was mounted ahead of the de Dion tube and the gearbox section was extended ahead of the final-drive instead of being integrated on the right-hand side.