By Willem Oosthoek
The above title quote is how a Maserati-loving bottling magnate always ended his correspondence.* The bottling magnate was J. Frank Harrison Jr., whose father was a nephew of John T. Lupton, one of the Coca-Cola pioneers.
Maserati Birdcage s/n 2458
Frank Harrison’s Maseratis P2
Frank Harrison’s Maseratis P3
By Willem Oosthoek
The Harrison team brought all three Maseratis to the next event, the Road America 500 miler in September. Each car was practiced and the 450S was fast but considered too much of a handful in a long-distance race. With the new red Birdcage offering even better handling than the Streamliner, it became Jeffords’ preferred car.
The Harrison Birdcages
By Willem Oosthoek
The Harrison team brought all three Maseratis to the next event, the Road America 500 miler in September. Each car was practiced and the 450S was fast but considered too much of a handful in a long-distance race. With the new red Birdcage offering even better handling than the Streamliner, it became Jeffords’ preferred car.
The Harrison Maseratis
By Willem Oosthoek
As we have seen in Part 1 of “A Coke and a smile”, Frank Harrison loved his three Maserati 450Ss, but the new Birdcage was faster. So what does one do? Find out in Part 2 and 3.*
After the Dothan, Alabama, event in October 1959 both Frank Harrison and his driver, Jim Hall, realized that the era of the Maserati 450S as a top feature contender had come to an end.