Lou died unexpectedly this week in Portugal, funeral will be in Torres Vedras on Thursday. He will be known to many in the UK from his days running Lorenzini Autosports in Prestwich, where he restored & raced several of Mike Vernon's competition Ferraris, amongst many other great cars. He was a real character and true madman back in the days when we all raced each other (and the police) on the public roads as well as the circuits. Who remembers the D-Type engined Sprite he eventually so comprehensively destroyed? He moved to Lisbon some 15 years ago to set up Lorenzini Autosports there with Jose Ruela. He will be sorely missed by his many friends.
Hi Tasman, I live in Lisboa and as a classic car journalist I followed several races along with Lou's team: first with José Ruela and some time later with Manuel Ferrão. Lou was a very special person, specially at his workshop: he always had a shy smile for each visit turning off his favourite classic musique that played when he was working on a engine. Portuguese classic scene is now more poor without him, but I'm glad he choose Portugal for living
You went so soon without saying Good Bye I hope you are now in a better place - RIP Louis thinking about you each day Your Sister Tina Prestwich England
Sorry to hear this sad news. Here is Lou in 1994, with ERA R2A at Shelsley Walsh Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just heard this sad news. Louis was a bit of a role model for me growing up in the 70's. Things didn't get much better than when he paid the family a visit. Always in an exciting car, but more importantly always with such great stories to tell. A truly original, talented and crazy guy, who will be missed by many.
Heard the sad news of Louis death today.He and I went to school together,St Annes Crumpsall. The next couple of years were spent pushing his dads V8 Pilot out of the drive,connecting a piece of wire to the throttle linkage(linkage removed by his dad in attempt to stop Lou from taking off with the car) then driving as only Lou could around Prestwitch,and north Manchester like demons with the old Pilot rocking and rolling on its leaf spring transverse suspension and the hub caps fling of on ever corner. I remember the frog nose Sprite with the D Type engine and Healey 3000 transmission-good for 2500 miles,depending on Louis right foot. On one occasion we stopped at the lights at the Half Way House when an E Type Jag pulled next to us.This guy got the shock of his life when the lights changed and Lou hit the throttle to see a Frog Eye Sprite drop him dead on the road. Many happy days, RIP Louis.
Hello, my name's Tina Azevedo and I lived with Louis Lorenzini (Lou) in Torres Vedras, Portugal. I just want to thank all of Louis's friends for remember him. In fact, Louis was a very special person. In my memory, stayed his shy smile and his brilliant mind. He was a big fighter all his life, and he's my champion! Thank you all for your nice words I'm sure that he will live forever with engines in heart. Ferrari was his life and it made him happy.
Hi Tina I'm so sorry for your loss, and I will miss Lou a lot. I would like to call in and see you next time I'm in Portugal. Please send me a private message with your email address or phone number. Warm regards Will
Dad, what can I say, we never got to say goodbye, Maisie never got to meet her Grandad. I just want you to know that even though we spent so many years apart I never stopped loving you. Love you always Daddy, Rest In Peace xxxx
I remember Loi very well as he lived in the next street, i moved into Prestwich in 1981 and remember him walking past our house every morning on his way too open up his garage. When i left school in back in 1991 it was decided of me to ask Loi what qualifications are required to be a mechanic, he said "City & Guilds" so i then went to Stockport Technical College and achieved City & Guilds Level 1 + 2 in Automotive Technology along with various other qualifications. As soon as i received my qualifications i went and and paid him a visit only to find out that he was not interested.
I know this is a bit late but just heard that Louis had passed away last year.. I worked with Louis at Sports Motors in Manchester in 1969/70 when they were Lotus dealers.. He was a great mechanic and had a black Ford Anglia with a 1760 push rod motor in it.. We were also Morgan dealers at the time and had to take a Morgan from Manchester to Preston with Louis driving a Sunbeam Tiger along with me.. The ride back in the Tiger was something I will never forget !!!! He decided that he would buy a Formla Ford to race at Oulton Park, but was getting no where in the races and getting blown off on the straights.. so built the most illegal Formula Ford engine immanigable - 1760 cc - wide cam - big valves and he still got blown away - so much for legal 1600cc engines.. We both went differant ways, myself into professional cycling and Louis into Ferrari and classic racing.. One day around 1984/85 I was returning from racing in Switzerland and was at Zurich airport waiting for my flight to Manchester. I got on the shuttle bus and was dropped off at a wooden shed somewhere on the runway. Getting inside guess who was sat there ?? Louis, just the same as I rememeber, we had a fun flight home catching up on old times, he had been delivering a Ferrari to a car show in Switzerland... Glad to have known such a great guy....
I am sorry to reply so late to the death of Louis Lorenzini, I heard the sad news 3 months ago by accident, a friend was asking who would buy an old F1 car and I told him I would contact Louis, I searched google and was shocked by the news. I first met Louis in 1992 when taking my then boss to collect a recently purchased 308 GT4 that had just been serviced and checked over by Louis. As a Ferrari fan through and through I was amazed at the cars being worked on at his mews premises and hoped to return for a better look when my boss was not present. A few months later my boss asked me to speak to Louis about buying a New Mitsubishi Shogun, we did a deal and the car was delivered in 1993, I took his own properly sorted Jaguar MKII 3.8 in p/x (it was my first experience of a classic car and at the age of 21 he was totally relaxed about me taking his car away 6 months before the Shogun arrived). All was well and I would make any excuse to visit Louis to see what he had in, the main ones I remember are a 57' Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe, AC Cobra 289 (ex-Ken Dodd), a recently restored XK150 Coupe, a 288 GTO that was featured in CAR magazine (Louis told me he had found a copy of the magazine behind the seats, I seem to recall a connection to Noel Edmonds?). Plus several Daytona's, Testarossa's and 308 racecars. One day I popped into see Louis as I was in the area and he had a 250LM! I was blown away by it he said it had been in Japan with a collector for a long time and was back in the UK for commissioning prior to being auctioned. I spent a long time looking around this incredible car when he said "I suppose you want to hear it running?" Of course I said yes and on that he fired it up consistently red lining it......WOW what a sound! The sound as he revved it up went through me, the funny thing was there was a wedding going on next door at the Villiage Hotel, the guests were outside capturing their happy day whilst Louis was giving the LM full beans with not a care in the world to the rather disgruntled guests!!! What a great man and a true loss to all of us that knew him, I have many stories from him that will stay with me forever. He did once shout at me due to the alarm on the Shogun going off at a particular "intermit moment". RIP to a great man. X
