Description of the original vehicle:
The Grand Prix of Italy 1956 took place on September 1, 1956 at the
Autodromo Nazionale Monza. It was the eighth race of the season as well
as the last competition for the decision of the 1956 automobile world
championship.
The candidates for this title were Juan Manuel Fangio and Peter Collins,
both driving a Ferrari D50, and Jean Behra driving a Maserati. It was a
touch-and-go situation: if Fangio were to miss this race, both Peter
Collins and Jean Behra would stand a chance to win the World
Championship title. However, in order for either of them to be crowned
with the title, winning the fastest lap time, which carried a point in
1956, would also be necessary in addition to the race itself.
From Ferrari six D50s were sent to this final race of the season. Four
were meant for their regular drivers: Fangio, Collins, Engenio
Castellotti and Alfonso de Portago. Cars five and six were put to use by
Luigi Musso and Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, a German pilot who
would have his first Formula 1 race in this season's finale. Maserati
also dispatched six cars to the race, with such outstanding pilots on
its team: Stirling Moss, Jean Behr, Luigi Villoresi and Paco Godia. As
for the non-Italian racing teams, there were the British Vanwall with
Piero Taruffi, Harry Schell and Maurice Trintignant at the wheels of its
fleet, and the team Connaught with three vehicles but only one
commendable performance by Ron Flockhart during the race. For the last
time, the French team Gordini also showed up, but its chances for a
front seat turned out to be minimal.
The Monza race event represented a climax of the season. Contestants had
to complete 50 laps for a total distance of 500 km. It took a
combination of good driving skills, highest concentration, fine
physique, clever racing strategies and a powerful and reliable car to
put one in the front.
It became apparent in practice that Ferrari was likely to win. Fangio
won pole position by eight-tenths of a second ahead of his teammate
Castellotti, who finished second. Luigi Musso took the third place. The
Vanwall driver Taruffi came in fourth. Only in position five did
Maseratiās trident emblem get to shine because of the efforts of its
topmost driver Jean Behra. Stirling Moss, who still had hopes of the
runner-up title, finished sixth, right in front of Ferrari driver
Collins.
The subsequent course of racing was nothing short of being dramatic. It
featured exciting duels as well as an unprecedented demonstration of
human generosity and lofty spirit. As was so often the case, Fangio got
off to a bad start in pole position. Castellotti and Musso got into the
front, but impetuous driving soon caused them to stop for tire changes
in the pit, thus giving away their lead. In the fourth round, Stirling
Moss surpassed Fangio and took over the lead until the tenth round.
Surpringly Harry Schell, the Vanwall driver, got into the front on lap
eleven, but one lap later, he handed the top spot back to Stirling Moss,
who was able to maintain the lead till lap 45.
In the middle of heated racing, things happened that would impact the
results of competition for the World Championship of Drivers. In lap
22, Jean Behra retired with a faulty ignition system. Driving a D50 with
starting number 22, Fangio had to make a pit-stop because of a broken
handle bar after lap 31. However, once the car was fixed, it was not
Fangio but Castellotti who drove it to keep on with the race. A pit
decision had been made that Fangio should continue his title competition
in Luigi Mussoās car, instead. However, Musso ignored the order,
leaving Fangio without a car. Fangio knew that his teamma-te Collins was
only one victory and one fastest lap away from the title. He basically
gave up any hopes.
This was when Peter Collins, whose Ferrari was wearing starting number
26, drove into the pit to have his tires checked. What happened then and
there has become a well-remembered episode in racing history. On the
spur of a selfless decision that could have only been inspired by an
unprecedented sporting spirit, Collins handed over his car to Fangio, an
older colleague as much as an opponent.
Collins was the only one in Formula 1 history to have voluntarily and
selflessly passed on to a colleague the opportunity to win the world
championship title. To justify such a decision, Collins might have told
himself that he was still young and had many chances lying ahead.
Unfortunatey, this calculation did not work out. Two years later, he
died of an accident on the NĆ¼rburgring circuit whe-re the 1958 German
Grand Prix was held.
Back to the 1956 Monza GP, the race went on. With five laps left to go,
Moss was ahead of Musso and Fangio, who was riding in Collinsā #26 car.
But he ran out of fuel and got stranded in the middle of nowhere for
refueling. This is when another selfless deed unfolded before the
spectators. Driving a pri-vate Maserati, Luigi Piotti docked behind the
rear end of Mossā Maserati, pushing Moss and his car to the Maserati
box.
Thanks to this rescuing effort, Moss was able to resume racing and
overtake Fangio from behind. For two laps, Musso was in the lead, but as
bad luck would have it, he broke the handlebar and had to retire with a
major victory so close in sight!
Stirling Moss took over the lead again and won the race six seconds
ahead of Fangio, who shared the points with Collins. With his share of
these points, Fangio became the driver world champion of the year for a
fourth time.
The 1956 Monza podium was not complete without Ron Flockhart, who raced
for the Connaught Engineering team and finished third, an unprecedented
success for his Connaught Type B-Alta.
Here is the final list:
- 1st: Stirling Moss in Maserati 250F
- 2nd: J.M. Fangio / Peter Collins in Ferrari D50
- 3rd: Ron Flockhart in Connaught-Alta
CMC Legal Disclaimer
The use of racing team and/or driver names, symbols, starting numbers,
and/or descriptions is solely for reference purposes. Unless otherwise
stated, it does not imply that the CMC scale model is a product of any
of these racing teams/drivers or endorsed by any of them.
Technical data of the original vehicle:
- Monoposto built on a tubular frame with free-standing wheels
- 2.5-litre V8 engine as a stressed member of the chassis
- Two valves per cylinder controlled by two overhead camshafts
- Dry sump oil lubrication
- Mixture preparation with four Solex 40 PII double carburettors
- Dual ignition (two plugs per cylinder)
- Five-speed manual gearbox installed behind the driver
- Triangular front axle with shock absorbers, front suspension with wishbones, transverse leaf spring, all made of metal
- Rear suspension with De-Dion-tube, transverse leaf spring, pushrods and friction dampers, all made of metal
- Bore x stroke: 76 x 68.5 mm
- Displacement: 2,486 cc
- Maximum output: 265 HP at 8,000 rpm
- Top speed: 300 Km/h (depending on ratio)
- Wheelbase: 2,280 mm
- Track front/rear: 1,270 / 1,270 mm
- Total length: 3, 850 mm
- Total width: 1,448 mm
- Total height: 962 mm
- Curb weight: 640 kg