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Alberto Ascari on the cover of a Pirelli technical information motion publication published in September-October 1953. What car is it, folks?

This is the second in a series of articles drawn from the Pirelli archives; the first is here:https://primotipo.com/2024/06/26/pirelli-and-alfa-romeo/

Lancia D50 on what looks suspiciously like its first test? Ten points and a bottle of Louis Roederer for the first of you to rattle off the names of the 10 dudes in the shot. Caselle Airport on February 20, 1954?

The Lancia D50s of Alberto Ascari and Gigi Villoresi await the start of the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix.

Maurice Trintignant took the win in the knarly Ferrari 555/625 from Eugenio Castellotti’s D50 with Jean Behra sharing Cesare Perdisa’s Maserati 250F, third. Villoresi was fifth while Ascari was a DNF after a swim in the harbour, while JM Fangio and Stirling Moss had failures on their Mercedes W196s. See here:https://primotipo.com/2022/01/09/alberto-ascari-and-paul-hawkins-monaco-harbour-submariners/

Eugenio Castellotti, Lancia D24 on the start ramp of the Mille Miglia in May 1954. His teammate, Alberto Ascari, won the race in another D24, Eugenio was a DNF with distributor failure. More on the race here:https://primotipo.com/2017/03/27/fearless-in-the-mille-morning-fog/

‘Dorino Serafini going by in Ferrari 375 and Peter Whitehead in a Ferrari 125, 1951 San Remo Grand Prix on April 21.

Alberto Ascari won the 90-lap, 186-mile race from Serafini and Rudolph Fischer’s Ferrari 212; Whitehead was 10th. The Autodromo di Ospedaletti was a 2.073-mile street circuit.

The event was marred by the death of one spectator and injuries to four caused by Johnny Claes’s Talbot, which ran wide after brake pipe failure.

The rider and bike aren’t identified in this superbly composed moment during a motorcycle race held in Como, probably the Como-Brunate, which was held from 1905, or the Circuit del Lario on dirt tracks, which was held from 1921-1939.’

Luigi Villoresi and Pirelli Stella Bianca shod Ferrari 166 on the Gran Premio Bari GP grid on July 9,1950, perhaps. That’s Clemente Biondetti’s Maserati 4CLT/48 behind.

‘Mike Hawthorn, Vanwall with Pirelli Stelvio tyres at the seventh BRDC International Trophy (Silverstone) on 7 May 1955. British Formula 1 driver John Michael Hawthorn won three Grands Prix and was World Champion in 1958. He was the first British driver to win the world title.’

DNF in the race won by Peter Collins’ Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F. Louis Rosier, below, was fifth in a 250F rout: Collins, Roy Salvadori, Bira #8 below, Andre Simon and Rosier were all mounted on the finest racing car of the 2.5-litre era…

Il pilota Alfred Neubauer, a rare photograph of the legendary team manager during his driving career.

It’s the October 1924 Italian Grand Prix weekend, both Neubauer’s and Christian Werner’s Mercedes M72/94s were withdrawn after Louis Zborowski’s death in another team car.

Alfa Romeo won in a rout, Antonio Ascari, Louis Wagner and Giuseppe Campari/Cesare Pastore finished first to third in their P2s.

Monza panorama during the 1955 Italian Motor Cycle Grand Prix – Gran Premio delle Nazioni – taken on September 4.

‘The event consisted of several competitions: Carlo Ubbiali on MV Augusta won the 125 and 250 classes, while the 350 and 500 classes were won respectively by Dicki Dale on Moto Guzzi and Unberto Masetti on MV Augusta. The sidecar category was won by the rider Wilhelm Noel and his passenger Fritz Cron on a BMW.’

‘Study for a sculpture intended for the Pirelli stand at the 1953 Turin Motor Show. Display of car tyres including the ‘Cinturato’, foam rubber armchair and chairs.’

Froilan Gonzalez, Maserati A6GCM, ahead of Eitel Cantoni’s similar car during the September 7, 1952 Italian Grand Prix. The race was won by Alberto Ascari’s Ferrari 500 over Gonzalez and Gigi Villoresi’s Ferrari 500.

La Scuderia Fiat during the September 9, 1923, Italian Grand Prix weekend. From left, the Fiat 805s of Felice Nazzaro, Pietro Bordino and Carlo Salamano.

Salamano won the 80-lap 497-mile race at Monza in 5 hours 27.38 seconds from Nazzaro and Jimmy Murphy’s Miller 122. I had a wonderful time on my own research journey about the fabulous Fiat GP cars of the era, see here:https://primotipo.com/2019/11/22/fiat-806-gp-1927/

Two illustrations for Pirelli technical publication number 4 in 1962. What it’s all about I know not!

Stirling Moss during his victorious September 8, 1957 Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza.

Vanwall VW5 from JM Fangio, Maserati 250F second, and Wolfgang von Trips third in a Lancia-Ferrari D50. More on Vanwall here:https://primotipo.com/2014/09/05/vanwall-cars-and-the-moroccan-grand-prix-1958/

Enrico Wild’s Itala 51S, DNF during the April 2, 1922 Targa Florio, the race was run on the medium Madonie that year. Giulio Masetti’s 1914 Mercedes GP car won from Jules Goux’s Ballot 2LS and Giulio Foresti’s Ballot 2LS, second and third.

1922 Targa and Ballot 2LS here:https://primotipo.com/2022/01/29/ballot-2ls-factory-racers/

Piero Scotti, Connaught B-Type Alta in the Silverstone paddock during the 1956 BRDC International Trophy weekend, May 5.

Stirling Moss won in Vanwall VW2 from the Connaughts of Archie Scott-Brown and Desmond Titterington, with Scotti finishing seventh in a strong showing for the marque.

A couple more shots of Alberto Ascari, above alongside Nino Farina, aboard Ferrari ‘Indy LWB’ 375s during the Valentino Grand Prix meeting in Turin, April 6, 1952.

Both cars DNF, in the race won by Gigi Villoresi, Ferrari 375 won from Piero Taruffi’s Ferrari 500 2.5 and Rudy Fischer, Ferrari 212 2.6.

And below in a Ferrari 500 during the Gran Premio dello Autodromo di Monza held on June 8 1952. Giuseppe Farina won the two-heat event on aggregate from Andre Simon and Rudy Fischer, all aboard Ferrari 500s. More on the Ferrari 500 here:https://primotipo.com/2019/06/24/1956-bathurst-100-lex-davison/

Juan Manuel Fangio and Ferrari 166 FL (2-litre, supercharged V12) in one of the South American races held in December 1949-January 1950.

Credits…

Pirelli Archive, Calcagni, Alberto Teruzzi, Terreni, Nino Nanni, Alessandro Mendini, Giorgio Muggiani

Tailpiece…

Pirelli Stelvio postcard 1956, ‘From racing experience, the tyre for your car.’

Finito…