Nuvolari!

As we approach Monaco in a week, I found my way to a short Youtube clip of the 1932 Monte Carlo Grand Prix (King Rose Archives) - here's the link: .
Pretty amazing stuff to watch with Nuvolari in the Alfa 8C - elbows out, literally leaning into corners - open cockpit and polo shirt! Winning time of 3Hrs. 32 Mins and 100 laps. Is there anyone on the 2018 grid who you could possibly see doing that?

 

You cant see the drivers anymore under the helmet, suit, closed cockpit excepting the head, and now its even covered.
You might be able to see their eyes if you get lucky.

 

To me, Nuvolari is still the greatest driver to have ever sat in a Grand Prix car. Better than Fangio, Ascari, Clark, Senna, Schumacher or anyone else.

 

The Ferrari quote in Gino Rancati’s book ("Ferrari: A Memory") about French racing-driver Guy Moll reads “… in my opinion, he was the only racing-driver worthy of being placed side by side with Nuvolari, along with Moss.”

 

I read that about Moll, but I never read much about him. I think he died before reaching his full potential, so we'll never really know.

 

The Nuvolari story I like, though it might be urban legend, has to do with his upset victory at the 1935 German G.P. in an Alfa P3. Supposedly, the band that was supposed to play the winner's national anthem only had music for the German anthem, since everyone fully expected one of the German cars to win. Nuvolari reputedly went to his personal car in the paddock, took out a Victrola with a record of the Italian anthem, brought it to the public address stand, and the anthem was played over the speakers from the record! Talk about being prepared...

 

You had to be tough, strong and brave to drive in those days.

 

...and Jean-Pierre Sarti said, have a "certain lack of imagination."

 

There's balls and then there are BALLS.

 

Ferdinand Porsche called him "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future."

 

It is amazing how much the character of this track changed from back in the days to how it looks like today in between all the guardrails....When they go into the amco today they simply bounce back and the car is broken but imagine touching the kurbstone with these fragile wheels and a rollover is almost unavoidable. No wonder so many cars ended in the harbour back then. And they were driving with wooden steering wheels on bumpy roads without any assistence and crash boxes for 3.5 hours!!! No wonder they were worshiped as heros back then without any instagram account

 

I think only two cars have landed in the water.

 

Which ones are you thinking of?

 

I read that years ago. perhaps the greatest upset in the history of motor racing. From wiki:

In this year, Nuvolari scored his most impressive victory, thought by many to be the greatest victory in car racing of all times, when at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, driving an old Alfa Romeo P3 (3167 cc, compressor, 265 hp) versus the dominant, all conquering home team's cars of five Mercedes-Benz W25 (3990 cm³, 8C, compressor, 375 hp (280 kW), driven by Caracciola, ***ioli, Hermann Lang, Manfred von Brauchitsch and Geyer) and four Auto Union Tipo B (4950 cc, 16C, compressor, 375 hp (280 kW), driven by Bernd Rosemeyer, Varzi, Hans Stuck and Paul Pietsch). This victory is known as "The Impossible Victory". The crowd of 300,000 applauded Nuvolari, but the representatives of the Third Reich were enraged.

 

A true master behind the wheel!

 

Alberto Ascari and ?

 

Pete Aron

 

Paul Hawkins according to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hawkins_(racing_driver)

 

OK, I thought there were more but you might be right....still not the most pleasant way to end your race

 

"Pete--Scott is faster than you"

 

Saw this running at the Spokane Historics about 5 years ago. Such an amazing machine up close. Image Unavailable, Please Login

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Paul Hawkins went in


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Not the flying Mantuan.

He knew all too well what could happen.

The amazing part is that it didn’t.

Matt

 

Great place to visit.
http://www.tazionuvolari.it/en/

 

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