The study that led to the 450S project dates back to 1954 but the first example of the car was ready only in June 1956. The new sport was equipped with a 4.5-liter 90 ° V8 engine, with at least 400 horsepower at 7200 rpm. The most prominent success of the 450S was that of the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1957 with Behra and Moss, in the year in which Maserati won the World Sports Championship. In 1958 the regulations limited the displacement to 3000cc but some 450S continued to be used in American races for several years. 11 units of the 450S were built.
In an edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans dominated by the Jaguar D-Types, the Maseratis were penalized by a lack of reliability. The 450S chassis 4503, driven by Behra and Simon, had to retire after just 28 laps due to a broken universal joint.
In the history of static modeling, Spark has truly revolutionized the market. The brand was created by Hugues Ripert, whose father André had been one of the main contenders of the artisanal modeling scene in the 70s and 80s. After working for Vitesse, Quartzo and Ixo, Ripert jr did not choose the diecast technique but opted for resin, with production in China but development and conception strictly in the European tradition. In practice the idea was to offer special models built in small series (what were later called "resincast"). The first Sparks were released in 2000, with a quality-price ratio unapproachable for most industrial and artisanal producers. Today Spark continues to churn out dozens of new products a year, having also expanded its production to other scales, such as 1:18 but also 1:64. There are numerous numbered and limited series for the various national distributors and for private customers such as teams, sponsors, drivers and so on.