Lloyd Casner & Masten Gregory (Car 1) won the race in their Maserati Tipo 61, popularly known as the "Birdcage" (1959–1961), is an iconic Italian sports racing car designed by Giulio Alfieri. Renowned for its complex, lightweight, multi-tubular chassis made of ~200 small-diameter steel tubes, it featured a 2.9-liter, 4-cylinder engine angled at 45° for low center of gravity. It produced $\sim$250 hp, achieving speeds of 285 km/h (177 mph).
Small framed original motorsport photograph. approx size 15'' X 12'' including frame. Jim Clark and Bruce McClaren did not finish the race due to an oil pipe failure. Their Aston Martin DBR1 is a sports racing car built by Aston Martin starting in 1956, intended for the World Sportscar Championship as well as non-championship sportscar races at the time. It is most famous as the victor of the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin's only outright victory at the endurance classic. It is one of only three cars in the 1950s to win both the World Sports Car Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year (the others being the Ferrari 375 Plus in 1954 and the Ferrari 250TR in 1958). In addition the six World Sports Car Championship victories was a record for any car in the 1950s and remained a record in the championship until surpassed by the Ferrari 250TR. The three consecutive triumphs in 1959 at the Nürburgring, Le Mans and the Tourist Trophy equalled the record set by the Ferrari 250TR with its three consecutive victories at the start of the 1958 season.
The VII Internationales ADAC 1000km Rennen auf dem Nürburgring was a major endurance race held on 28th May 1961 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. It was the third round of the 1961 World Sportscar Championship. The race was won by Masten Gregory and Lloyd "Lucky" Casner driving a Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage" (entered by Camoradi USA). Second Place was Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez finished second in a Ferrari 250 TRI/61, entered by the North American Racing Team (NART). Joakim Bonnier and Hans Herrmann secured third place in a Porsche 718 RS 61. The race featured intense competition between the Maserati, Ferrari, and Porsche teams on the 22.8 km Nordschleife circuit.