Umberto Maglioli is dead
- Monza, Februar 7, 1999
-
- The 1954 Carrera
Panamericana
- Mentor Giovanni
Bracco
- Not too
successful in Formula One
- Porsche and a
short comeback with Ferrari
Umberto
Maglioli became a legend in 1954 when he won the
last Carrera Panamericana in a Ferrari 375 Plus
Spider Pinin Farina s/n 0392AM. Since then,
Maglioli’s name has been fortified in the
memory of the majority of the Ferraristi because
the race he won was not just one among others but
the toughest one which was ever part of the world
championship.
On
February 7, 1999 Umberto Maglioli crossed another
finishing line: The Italian – born on June
5, 1928 in Biella – died of a severe
illness.
- Photo:
Umberto Maglioli at the wheel of 375 Plus
s/n 0392AM during the 1954
Carrera Panamericana
Umberto
Maglioli was noticed in motor racing for the
first time in 1951 when he and his mentor
Giovanni Bracco drove a stock Lancia Aurelia B20
to 2nd OA in the Mille Miglia. After
he won the 1953 Targa Florio (again in a Lancia),
he was called into the Scuderia Ferrari and
proved "worthy" in January 1954 when he
took the win in the 1000 Kilometers of Buenos
Aires in 375 Plus s/n 0398TF.
At this time
Maglioli had already had his first experiences in
Formula One driving: He took part in his home
Grand Prix at Monza in 1953. But Maglioli never
became that successful in piloting single seaters
as he did with the sports cars, hence his Formula
One entries were only a few. His curriculum vitae
shows two third positions in Formula One racing,
but at this point one should stress that it was
possible to take over a car from one’s
teammate during a race in these times...
Umberto
Maglioli left the Scuderia Ferrari in 1956 and
found a new home at Porsche (after a short
intermezzo with Maserati); he stayed with the
Germans for more than a decade, his last great
victory dating 1968 when he won the Targa Florio
in a Porsche 907/8 which he shared with Vic
Elford. 1964 had seen a short comeback with
Ferrari: Umberto Maglioli drove the 250 P s/n 0812 in the 12 Hours of Sebring and
eventually ended up on op of the podium.
Text
Gregor Schulz
Translation Andreas Birner
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