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Tag: Italy

November 29, 1906 – Lancia is founded
29Nov By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

November 29, 1906 – Lancia is founded

1909 Lancia A group of Fiat racing drivers, including Vincenzo Lancia and his friend Claudio Fogolin, founded Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili on this day in 1906 in Turin, Italy. Lancia achieved commercial success with their first vehicle, the Tipo 51. This 12 hp car remained in production from 1907 through 1912. Lancia earned a reputation for innovation when it became the first automaker to offer production V4 and V6 engines, as well as independent suspension.   By the end of the 1960s Lancia skimmed the possibility of bankruptcy. A bid by Fiat to take over the company was accepted. A reorganization put the company back on track, literally. A fresh focus on racing boosted sales after many dominating rally performances throughout the 1970s and 1980s. By the mid 20...
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October 5, 1919 – Enzo Ferrari enters his first race
5Oct By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

October 5, 1919 – Enzo Ferrari enters his first race

A young Enzo Ferrari in an Alfa (Ferrari.com) On this day in 1919 a young Italian by the name of Enzo Ferrari took fourth place in a hill climb in Parma, Italy, marking his first professional auto race. He'd go on to compete in a variety of classes and vehicles. Throughout his racing career, which lasted all of 47 races, Enzo took home 13 first place awards. It was said he could have won more but his love for the automobiles prevented him from pushing them to a breaking point. Perhaps that is the reason why he left the driver's seat in the mid 1920s to pursue his passion for building cars instead.  In 1929 Ferrari formed the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in Modena while head of Alfa Romeo’s racing department. By 1933 his team became the official racing department of Alfa Romeo a...
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June 21, 1947 – The first post war Mille Miglia
21Jun By Brian CoreyNo Comments
This Day

June 21, 1947 – The first post war Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia was an open road endurance race that took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957. It was on this day in 1947 the first post WWII race took place. The race was won by Italians Clemente Biondetti and Emilio Romano who drove an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Berlinetta Touring. The races began in 1927 when Aymo Maggi and Franco Mazzotti, along with a group of investors, established the race because they were upset about the Italian Grand Prix being moved from their home town of Brescia. The designed a figure-eight type course that ran approximately one thousand miles on public roads. One thousand miles in Italian is “Mille Miglia,” although the first race was actually 1,005 miles. The first event started with 77 racers, of which 51 made it to the finish line. Coming in first...
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June 24, 1910 – Alfa Romeo is founded
24Jun By Brian CoreyNo Comments
This Day

June 24, 1910 – Alfa Romeo is founded

Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (ALFA ) was founded on this day in 1910, the predecessor to Alfa Romeo. Born out of the French Darracq car company that was founded four years prior, ALFA got its start after Italian Giuseppe Merosi was hired by the French company to design more appealing cars for the Italian market. Upon finding success in Italy, ALFA broke away from Darracq in 1910, officially becoming its own entity.  Above: 1906 Darracq Italian, the precursor to ALFATop: c.1910 ALFA 24 hp The next year ALFA made its racing debut at the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24-hp models. From then on, racing would always be a part of Alfa Romeo. The company name was officially changed to Alfa Romeo after Nicola Romeo took over as director in 1920. In 1925 Alfa Romeo would win th...
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