Luigi Della Grotta

Just this morning I opened up an e-mail announcing to me that Luigi Della Grotta passed away last Friday.


"Dear fellow members and friends,

It is with great sadness and regret that Frank and I wish to inform that our mentor and friend, Luigi Della Grotta, passed away a short time ago surrounded by his beloved family, Mabel, his two daughters Maria and Sonya and his two son-in-laws, Allan and Marcello. He will be missed by one and all. May Luigi’s soul rest in peace.

You will be informed of further details once they become know to us.

Frank & Marc"


For those who didn't know him, Luigi was the official Ferrari importer for Quebec and Eastern Canada from 1963 to 1998. He acquired the rights to sell Ferraris directly from the Drake himself, but only after having the door slammed into his face three times. The Old Man was impressed by Luigi's tenacity, and gave him the rights, although he had reservations about his Ferraris winding up in an Arctic country.

Buying a car from Luigi during his tenure was no easy feat. You simply didn't walk into his shop and ask to buy one. In Luigi's opinion, ownership was merited. This obviously did not earn him a legion of friends, but he did manage to run a very successful business, and create an inner circle of followers and admirers. If anything, his MO only added to the Ferrari mystique.

Once he was no longer an official importer, Luigi Sports Cars stayed open as an independent Ferrari shop, and primarily took care of the "Luigi Club" members' cars. During his final years, his shop was more of a club house/museum/shrine than a service garage.

RIP Luigi

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An interesting tid-bit from a 2000 issue of Prancing Horse.
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A thread in the Canada section with some stories, anecdotes and pictures.

http://www.ferrari101.com/forum/showthread.php?t=355035

 

A little update on the link in the Canada section. It seems that the link posted previously is broken.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/canada/355035-r-i-p-luigi-della-grotta.html