A superb and rare photo of Juan Manuel Fangio in his Maserati
250F Formula 1 race car, during the the F 1 Grand Prix of Monaco
in actin against Sterling Moss and his Vanwall and Peter Collins in his might
Ferrari 801!
The Maserati
brothers, Alfieri Maserati, Bindo Maserati, Carlo Maserati, Ettore Maserati,
Ernesto Maserati and Mario Maserati, were all involved with automobiles from
the beginning of the 20th century. Alfieri, Bindo
and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix
cars for Diatto. In 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading
to the creation of the first Maserati and the founding of the Maserati marque.
One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won
the 1926 Targa Florio. Maserati began making race
cars with 4, 6, 8 and 16 cylinders (actually two straight eights mounted
parallel to one another). Mario, an
artist, is believed to have devised the company's trident emblem, based on one
of Bologna's civic symbols: the statue of Neptune in one of the
city's main squares. Alfieri
Maserati died in 1932 but three
other brothers, Bindo, Ernesto and
Ettore, kept the firm going, building cars that won races.
In 1937 the remaining Maserati brothers sold their
shares in the company to the Adolfo
Orsi family, who in 1940 relocated
the company headquarters to their hometown of Modena, where it remains to this day. The brothers
continued in engineering roles with the company, however. Racing successes
continued, even against the giants of German racing, Auto Union and Mercedes.
In 1940 a
Maserati won the Indianapolis
500, a
feat repeated the following year. The war then intervened, Maserati abandoning
cars to produce components for the Italian war effort. Once peace was restored,
Maserati returned to making cars, the Maserati A6 series, doing well in the
post-war racing scene. This was the last involvement of the Maserati brothers,
who after the 10-year contract with Orsi, went on to form the O.S.C.A. car
builder.
The famous Argentinian
driver Juan-Manuel
Fangio raced for Maserati
for a number of years in the 1950s, producing a number of stunning victories
including winning the world championship in 1957 in the Maserati 250F. Other racing projects in
the 50s were the Maserati 200S, Maserati 300S, Maserati 350S, Maserati 450S,
followed in 1961 by the famous Maserati Birdcage. Maserati had retired from
factory racing participation due to the Guidizzolo accident (1957), though it
built racing cars to be raced by others after that date.
Argentinean Juan Manuel Fangio
dominated the first decade of Formula One racing. He won five World Championship titles — a
record which stood for 46 years. During
his career he rode for 4 different teams: Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz
and Maserati. This was a feat that has
not been repeated since. For these achievements, and because of the time they
were accomplished, he is considered by many as the "greatest driver of all
time". Fangio was born on San Juan's day in
1911 in
Balcarce, Argentina
to Italian parents from the small central Italian village
of Castiglione Messer Marino, near Chieti. He began his racing
career in Argentina
in 1934, driving a Ford Model T, which he had rebuilt. During his time racing
in Argentina,
he drove Chevrolet cars and was Argentine National Champion in 1940 and 1941.
He first came to Europe to race in 1949,
funded by the Argentinean Automobile Club and the Argentinean government. Juan Manuel
Fangio, unlike most later Formula
One drivers, started his racing career at a mature age and was the oldest
driver in many of his races. During his career, drivers raced almost without
protective equipment. The notable rivals he had to face consisted of the likes
of Alberto Ascari,
Giuseppe Farina and Stirling Moss.
Initially Fangio was not particularly
successful until racing an Alfa Romeo in 1950. He finished second in the world
championship in 1950 and won his first title in 1951. He was competing well in 1952 in a Maserati until a
serious accident at Monza, Italy ended his season with a neck
injury. Fangio soon returned to win La Carrera Panamericana, the 2000-mile
Mexican road race the following year in a Lancia D24. In 1954 he raced with
Maserati until Mercedes-Benz entered competition in mid-season. Winning eight
out of twelve races (six out of eight in the championship) in that year, he
continued to race again with Mercedes—driving the superb W196 Monoposto—in 1955
(in a dream team that included Stirling Moss). At the end of the second
successful season (which was overshadowed by the 1955 Le Mans disaster in which more than 80
spectators were killed) Mercedes withdrew from racing. In 1956 Fangio moved to
Ferrari, replacing Alberto
Ascari, who had been killed in an
accident, to win his fourth title. He finished first in three races and second
in all the other championship races. In 1957 he returned to Maserati (SEE PHOTO) and won his fifth
title, notable for an extraordinary performance to secure his final win at the
Nürburgring in Germany.
After his series of back-to-back championships he retired in 1958, following
the French Grand Prix. He won 24 World Championship Grands Prix from 51 starts,
the best winning percentage in the sport's history. In 1990, he was inducted
into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. According to the official
Formula One website, "Many consider him to be the greatest driver of all
time." Many later drivers, such as Jim
Clark, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher,
have been compared with Fangio.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects
a wonderful era of Maserati ‘s automotive history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this
photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x
12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you
buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on
photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright
expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our
archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well
protected in PVC clear files and board backed
envelopes.
We have
photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the
original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and
excellent quality.
After many decades
of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our
archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They
will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a
border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace,
restaurant, bar or club!
First come -
first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any
questions before the auction ends.