Anyone who truly has a love of racing has surely heard of what must be one of the best drivers that ever lived… Juan Maunel Fangio. If for some strange reason you don’t know who he was just sit down the candy and step away from the computer.
I have been very lucky to know or have known many of the greatest drivers of racing history but I never got to meet Juan Fangio. Better know and “The Master” he was a race car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing. He won five Formula One World Driver’s Championships — a record which stood for 46 years — with four different teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati), a feat that has not been repeated since. How impressive is that for a resume? The statue above is a tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio that graces the streets of Monaco. What a fitting tribute it is and I can not think of a more fitting place for it to rest.
I can tell you that I am good friends with Phil Hill who knew Juan Fangio in a very special way. as a friend and a competitor. Phil is one of the greatest of all times right up there with Fangio and in fact besides a list of acheviments parraled only by he likes of Fangio, Phil has won more races for Ferrari than any other driver. Now that’s not bad either.
One of my favorite Fangio/Hill stories is about my good friend Larry who used to tell me about the story his Uncle used to tell him about the time he got to shake Juan Fangio’s hand. So one day I was telling Phil Hill about that story and so Phil autographed a poster for Larry saying something like, “I also shook the hand of Fangio.”
Speaking of Larry and Juan Fangio… Larry sent me an article written by one of our idols Chris Economaki, and in it he wrote a story I had not heard about. A couple weeks ago I told Larry I had watched a great movie that took place in Cuba and in the beginning of the movie they talked about Juan Fangio racing in Cuba. Then Larry found this article and sent it to me. Economaki writes about the time Juan Fangio was kidnapped by dictator Fidel Castro. “In 1950 Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped by loyalist of Castro at that time a Communist rival of Batista, holding Fangio in a house of ill repute atop a Mercedes dealership on the Malecon. Every time Fangio was asked about this incident, he smiled in delivering his reply.”
I have always loved the stories that seem so special and adventuresome when told by race car drivers and this has got to be one of the best and where else would you expect to find a house of ill repute than atop a Mercedes dealership? It couldn’t be above a Chevy dealership because everyone knows they would have to much F’ing overhead and that would never do.
Juan Manuel Fangio died in Buenos Aires in 1995, at the age of 84. He was buried in his home town of Balcarce in Argentina.
And just check out the photo below while Fangio makes the car slide thru the corner like a ballerina would glide gracefully across the stage. Anyone who is a race car driver would notice his eyes are still looking ahead in the direction he intends to drive to. It’s all part of the dance.
13 comments ↓
Gary
Great stories on a great driver … my all-time favorite, as a matter of fact!
I think I have that Chris Economaki story in my files somewhere … Fangio did not lead a boring life. His fifth World Championship was sealed with his amazing win of the 1957 German GP at the Nurburgring … a “Maestro” drive.
I found movie poster art that uses this famous photo from above as reference; notice that the rest of the illustration is a bit time-shifted:
http://www.movieposterclassics.com/adventure.html
Cheers!
Paul,
Great poster! I wonder what the movie is like, obviously not English. I don’t think “boring” was in Fangio’s vocabulary.
I was interested in learning more about that statue and it was interesting to learn that David Coulthard, Juan Manuel Fangio, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda were present for the unveiling which took place on May 20 2003.
The statue was designed by the Spanish artist Joaquim Ros after an initiative of Sabastiá Salvadó Plandiura, president of the Royal Catalanian Automobile Club. The original version is at the Barcelona race track, Daimler-Chrysler had the idea to make five copies, one is at the Nürburgring, the second now in Monaco, others are intended for Italy (Monza), Argentina (Balcarce) and Stuttgart (for the new Mercedes-Benz Museum, which was opened in 2006).
It’s also interesting to point out neither of Fangio’s Monaco victories were in a Mercedes, which just goes to show how proud all concerned, including Mercedes was of Fangio.
In the 1950s, stereo phonographs became popular with speakers set wide apart. Demonstration records reproduced the sound of a passing steam locomotive, or a ping-pong game. I had two long-play 33 1/3. One was sounds of the Indy 500. The other was the sounds of Sebring with microphones set at the various corners and straightways. The Sebring recording also included technical inspection with idle conversation and joking among team members.
All of these years, I have remembered the comments about a race car that did not arrive in time for technical inspection. Some mechanic named Castro would not permit the car to leave Cuba. As we found out later, Castro was no joke.
Even will all of today’s stereo technology to the best of my knowledge there is no sound better done than the 33 1/3 soundtrack record from the movie GRAN PRIX staring James Garner. It is best enjoyed with a good set of headphones but what’s really amazing is this was made way back in 1965. If you REALLY want to hear something truly awesome find that album and see for yourself.
Larry…I think that record is somewhere in my step dad’s collection to this day! As a youngling, I experienced it through the magic of quadrophonic sound!
GF- neat, useless trivia regarding Grand Prix. Ma & Pa Ranta were in one of the crowd scenes filmed at Monaco. They were there for their honeymoon!
How cool is that!
Not exactly related but My wife was an extra in Apocalypse Now. I have been sleeping with one eye open ever since she told me.
Well, I’ll be damn! Look what I found…. There is a DVD about the chronicles of the kidnapping of legendary Argentine race car driver Juan Manuel Fangio by guerillas at the 1958 Formula One Championships in Cuba and it’s called
Operacion Fangio and check this out… It was filmed in 1999!
This drama chronicles the kidnapping of legendary Argentine race car driver Juan Manuel Fangio by guerillas at the 1958 Formula One Championships in Cuba.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198874/
Gary(s)
I’ve got the “Grand Prix” album, but nothing to play it on … looks great, though … boy, I guess I AM an addict of vintage racing automobilia, eh?
Paul, now THAT’s funny! LMAO! Even while I was typing that I was asking myself, Hmmm, I wonder if anyone even has a good pair of head phones these days and I didn’t even think about how obsolete a stereo record player is these days. Where in the hell did the last 30 years go! LOL.
I have a rare autograph of Fangio shaking hands with James Garner from the Movie Grand Prix while James is dressed in uniform and in the car. It basically sats Thank You to James in Italian. I am pondering it’s value. The source I got from should authenticate the picture. It is in a lucitie frame. I look forward to your responce!
Sincerely,
Devin
That’s pretty cool Devin! Not sure if we can help with a value, though Gary F might have an idea.
Devin,
I’m sorry but photography values are not anything I have any expertise with. I suppose of I personally wanted to find out the value of your photo, I would contact one of the experts who specialize in selling and buying them. I am sure you have seen some of the specialty stores that sell only sports memorabilia including signed footballs, baseballs, jerseys, baseball bats and even racing artifacts and photos.
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