The Maserati Tipo 61, or Maserati Birdcage as it was affectionately called, was a factory-built race car from 1959 to 1961. The configuration was scrawled out by the famous Italian designer Giulio Alfieri. His plan called for some 200 steel tubes to be used to construct the frame, thus giving the car's skeleton the look of a birdcage. Powering the car was a front-mounted inline-four engine of 2.9L producing 250hp. Altogether the car weighed only 1300 lbs. In 1960 and 1961, the Tipo 61 was competitive at both LeMans and the Nurburgring. Overall it is believed that 17 vehicles were built by the time production ended in 1961.