1955
The post-war economic boom transformed the automobile from a luxury into a widely available symbol of freedom and prosperity. Motor racing flourished, with races taking place all across Western Europe. The Mille Miglia, revived in 1947, became a globally celebrated event. Most racing in Italy continued to take place on public roads or mountain courses, as permanent circuits were rare.

In 1955 the Automobile Club of Florence revived the Circuito del Mugello race, this time using a shorter 19-kilometre layout, with 15 laps to be completed. For the first time, the event attracted more than 100 entries. Among the participants were two female drivers: Anna Maria Peduzzi, driving a Stanguellini 750, and Maria Teresa de Filippis – who would later become the first woman to compete in Formula 1 – driving a Maserati 2000.

The event was split across two weekends: one for cars and another for motorcycles. The car race featured a close battle between Umberto Maglioli in a Ferrari 3000 and Giulio Cabianca in a smaller, more agile OSCA 1500. Both drivers achieved average speeds exceeding 100 km/h, a new record at Mugello at the time. Maria Teresa de Filippis experienced a dramatic moment when a door on her car came loose. Attempting to close it while driving, she lost control and ran off the road, narrowly avoiding a ravine.

The public appreciated the 15-lap format, as it allowed spectators to see the cars pass more often than at the Mille Miglia or in hillclimbs. But despite this success, the Mugello circuit remained dormant for the next nine years. The only racing in the region was the Mille Miglia which, once per year, used some of the same roads …

More in the current issue!

by Ugo Vicenzi

Photographs: Arsenio Riseri, Foto Locchi, Renato Parassoni, Actualfoto, Andrea Pini, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Torrini, Eris Tondelli, Archive Facetti

For people who are familiar with the De Tomaso Pantera, it is quite common to come across the term ‘Pantera Group 4’. This is usually associated with Panteras with wider bodies to allow for its typical massive wheels, and some other racing-look features. However, while ‘Pantera Group 4’ became a trademark for that appeal, reality is quite different. The true Group 4 version of the iconic De Tomaso was a proper race car based on a modified stock chassis. The similarities with the street version were limited to the body, and of course, the use of the same Ford V8 block. But the connection ends there. Only 14 of these special cars were made in the span of a year, and luckily all of them survived the test of time. However, one of them rose above the rest: chassis number 02873. Despite being the one before the last to be built, this car achieved the most remarkable results and built a racing pedigree like no other. To know its story in detail, we need to go back to the beginning of the saga.

The De Tomaso Pantera was born in 1970 as the result of Alejandro de Tomaso’s persistent obsession to design and build cars for large manufacturers. He had a plan, he learnt from his mistakes and misfortunes, and his determination and clever strategy paid dividends. After acquiring Ghia, he used it as the platform to produce the concept of the car that Lee Iacocca wanted for Ford: a muscle car with an innovative and modern European/Italian design. And the Pantera was that – and a lot more. At a time when Ferrari wasn’t yet making mid-engined road cars (only De Tomaso and Lamborghini were), in Modena, at the heart of the Italian motor valley, De Tomaso developed his third and most successful mid-engined coupé. The Pantera became the first of what we call today an ‘exotic supercar’ – a technically advanced luxury coupé designed for the ‘driving experience’, not to be practical …

More in the current issue!

by Alejo Pérez Monsalvo

Photographs: Sian Loyson, Spitzley Zagari, Alejo Pérez Monsalvo Collection

Monaco di Baviera is the Italian name for the city of Munich. The southern European spirit is particularly palpable in many parts of the Bavarian capital during the summer, as is undoubtedly the penchant of some residents for la dolce vita – after all, Italy is just a few hours’ drive away. Munich-based car manufacturer BMW has also maintained close ties with Italy for many decades.

This relationship was particularly pronounced right from the start with BMW M GmbH’s first sportscar, the BMW M1 – the car conceived by Giorgio Giugiaro at ItalDesign was originally intended to be built by Lamborghini. As is well known, this plan was soon scrapped, but despite – or perhaps because of – the well-known difficulties, the M1 became an icon that now enjoys collector’s status and occupies a special place in BMW’s history. Not least because of its sporting endeavours, the Procar Series during the 1979 and 1980 Formula 1 seasons. Around 10 years after the initial concepts for the BMW M1, the BMW M3 E30 was unveiled at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt and went into production in 1986. At the time, no one realised that this would mark the birth of the most successful touring car of all time.

In mid-May this year, I first headed to Monza, where Roberto Ravaglia and Johnny Cecotto were due to climb back into the cockpits of their old sportscars. In 2026 BMW will celebrate 50 years of the 635 CSi and 40 years of the M3 E30. Once we arrived at the hotel, we went for dinner with a small group – the BMW Group Classic project team, myself as the sole journalist, and Roberto Ravaglia and Johnny Cecotto. On the way to the restaurant, we passed the entrance to the Parco di Monza, the royal park in which the racetrack, including the old oval, is situated. As we sat in the car, I asked the two M3 specialists about their memories of the M3 and Monza. They smiled. ‘Of course, the first world championship race in 1987 comes to mind,’ says Roberto. ‘Johnny won – and we were all disqualified.’ Both laugh. But a certain wistfulness is palpable. Did they know that the bodywork was made of nothing but thin sheet metal? ‘No, we didn’t know that. The mechanics just told us not to put our helmets on the roof, but we didn’t think anything of it,’ says Roberto …

More in the current issue!

by Robert Weber

Photographs: Robert Weber, BMW Group Classic/Gudrun Muschalla, BMW Group Classic/Hardy Mutschler