- 1 -
FANGIO CELEBRATED IN NEW EXHIBITION
Michael Schumacher not withstanding, the name Fangio remains a legendary name in motorsport and the remarkable career of the five-time world champion is celebrated in a new exhibition in Modena, the home of the company that produced his greatest race-winning car, the Maserati 250F
The exhibition, ‘Fangio: When the man is more than the legend’, is the centrepiece of the annual ‘Modena: Land of the Engines’ festival that celebrates the fact that Modena is at the heart of what has been called ‘Supercar Valley’, the home of more supercar companies than anywhere else in the world.
Running from 1 to 30 October in the classic Manifattura Tabacchi building in Modena, the display is a unique collection of images and objects related to the life of Juan Manuel Fangio. In order to fully evoke the talent of the great Fangio and demonstrate Maserati’s great passion for racing, Maserati has provided the exhibitionwith the wooden and aluminium steering wheel from Fangio’s Maserati 250 F. Also present will be the winner’s drape that enveloped the World Championship trophy handed to the Argentine driver when he topped the podium at Nürburgring in 1957.
Juan Manuel Fangio and Maserati are inexorably linked in motorsport history. In its ninety plus year history, Maserati has collected almost five hundred wins and a countless number of podium and class results. But it was between 1949 and 1957 Fangio and his Maserati scored the wins that secured the Maserati Motorsport legend. There were victories in San Remo, Marseille, Perpignan and Pau in 1949 with Fangio at the wheel of the Maserati 4CLT/48 and then the winning of the world title in 1957 driving the 250F. This was Fangio’s fifth world F1 title.
After this win and at the peak of its powers, Maserati decided to retire from competition. It continued to supply its clients with cars and engines in the years that followed with success coming in all sectors of competition. Fangio won in the Maserati in other races too, some in the Sport category: the Grand Prix of Pau in the 4CLT/48 in 1950, the Grand Prix of Modena on board the A6GCM in 1957, the Grand Prix of Portugal, the Grand Prix of Cuba and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Since then, Maserati has remained true to its motorsport soul and transferred its expertiseand technological research acquired from the racing world to its road cars. Those features go along with the exclusivity of Maserati cars and traditional attention to detail typical of Italian craftsmanship.
This year Maserati has already won the Constructors’ Cup in FIA GT Championship a long way before the end of the season, thanks to the four MC12s fielding the Team Vitaphone and JMB. Further, the Trofeo GranSport continues to set top performances in the Trofeo Maserati in Europe and Brazil.
(ends)
For further information, please contact
Edward Butler
/ Tel: +61 2 9701 8000General Manager / Fax: +61 2 9701 3555
MaseratiAustralia and New Zealand / E:
Edward Rowe
/ Tel: +61 2 9701 8000Public Relations Manager / Fax: +61 2 9701 3555
Ferrari Australia and New Zealand / Mob: +61 407 913 244
E:
Maserati Media web site:
Australia:
New Zealand: