1957: the last Mille Miglia. It was the tragedy of Cavriana, the crash of the Alfonso de Portago-Ed Nelson Ferrari 335S and the 11 bodies on the asphalt that wrote the last page in the story of this fascinating yet dangerous road race. But the 1957 marathon was the most enthralling of them all, enlivened by the contentious battle between the drivers brought together in a single team by Enzo Ferrari and that culminated in victory for Piero Taruffi, who retired from racing after winning the “most beautiful race in the world”. The story of this race is told mile after mile in this book, using the unfolding news of the Brescia-Rome-Brescia marathon, but also the testimonies of the protagonists, behind the scenes happenings, the cars, the men and women. And extraordinary pictures, many previously unpublished. This book is set against a backdrop of Italy in the late ‘50s and an unforgettable era of motor racing. This is the first in a series of books which will tell the stories of all the post war Mille Miglias over the next few years, ranging from the 1947 race to the tragic 1957.

24 editions from 1927 to 1957. 24 races featuring the greatest ever cars and drivers participated in the years either side of the Second World War. This in the briefest of terms is the Mille Miglia, the race par excellence; the marathon that for almost three decades traversed Italy, bringing to the nation’s roads stars of the calibre of Varzi and Nuvolari, Biondetti and Fangio, Ascari, Moss and Taruffi driving for the likes of Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Lancia and Ferrari. The book draws on a wealth of photographic documents, in particular for the post-war editions, from the Novafoto-Sorlini Archive, an important collection featuring the shots taken by the official race photographer, Alberto Sorlini, between 1947 and 1957. Thanks to this previously unpublished and spectacular material, the book evokes an era in which unforgettable chapters in motorsport history were written.

The 24th and final edition of the Mille Miglia, held on the 11th and 12th of May 1957, has passed into history above all due to the tragic circumstances of the accident involving de Portago and Nelson’s Ferrari 335S, which crashed in the latter stages of the race near Mantua. It was however, also a race characterised by a bitter struggle amongst the Maranello marque’s drivers, a duel that never happened with Moss and Jenkinson’s Maserati 450S and the last career win for Piero Taruffi. Behind all this, there was also another story, one equally as fascinating and rich in incident, that of the crews racing in the minor classes: from the Tuned Touring and the 750 classes to the Gran Turismo and Sport 750 and 1000 categories. This previously neglected story of "little" cars and almost unknown drivers is recounted by Carlo Dolcini, a painstaking and accurate historian, who has reconstructed in engrossing detail the “minor” episodes of those days, drawing on a wealth of photographic documentation.

Porsche and the Mille Miglia. Two legends, two names from the history of motor racing that came together from 1952 to 1957, the years in which the Stuttgart manufacturer competed in the classic Brescian marathon, first with the 356 A and B models and, in a second phase, with the 550 RS barchette. The most prestigious drivers of their time took to the narrow roads of Sicily in those cars, often winning their class or category: from Hans Herrmann to Giovanni Bracco, Wolfgang von Trips to Umberto Maglioli. This book covers their brief but intense and fascinating story, which has never been told before with such precise text in reconstructing the facts, and which is supported by hundreds of unpublished photographs provided by Porsche themselves, plus rare documents and designs of the period.

First held in 1927, and staged periodically over the next 30 years, the Mille Miglia ("thousand miles") road race was one of the greatest of all motorsport events. It attracted a vast number of entries, from amateur drivers in family cars as well as the great drivers and marques. Published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the last race, this fascinating book recreates the races, the atmosphere, the politics, the technical changes – even the weather and road surfaces.

When one thinks of the Mille Miglia, the most celebrated race in the world that took place between 1927 and 1957, the mind certainly goes back to OM, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Lancia as well, of course, as the ultra-victorious Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, the greatest car manufacturers that have competed in the Italian marathon. But the memorable history of the great race is made up mainly of men: drivers, co-drivers, mechanics, technical and sports directors, organisers as well as film and show business personalities plus, naturally, an immense public following. All of those faces have names, some well-known others less so, and stories, some well worth telling others less so. The book brings together a series of portraits in alphabetical order that make up the fragments of this historic sports and cultural mosaic that was the Mille Miglia, once again told by Leonardo Acerbi from his deep knowledge of the Brescia-based race.

In 1967: Chris Amon, Scuderia Ferrari and a Year of Living Dangerously, author John Julian takes a fresh look at one of racing s most memorable years through the eyes of Chris Amon, the young New Zealander who had just joined the Ferrari team. For Amon, 1967 began with victory at the Daytona 24 Hours, but soon turned tragic with the death of teammate Lorenzo Bandini at Monaco. At Spa, another spectacular accident put Mike Parkes out of action with two broken legs, and prompted Ludovico Scarfiotti to quit the Ferrari team. That left Amon to fight alone until the last race in Mexico, scoring four third places and finishing fourth in the Drivers Championship. -- Amon has long been a favorite of true racing enthusiasts. While he s often noted for his hard luck, in a thirteen-year F1 career he never won a championship Grand Prix, among knowledgeable fans and fellow drivers he is still universally respected for his speed, skill, and sportsmanship on the track. Away it, Amon s quick wit and easygoing demeanor made him popular with the media and later a mentor to younger drivers and newcomers to the sport. While Amon and Ferrari take center stage, 1967 also looks at the other drivers, teams and events that shaped the campaign for the championship. The book includes observations and memories such leading drivers as John Surtees and Dan Gurney, as well as informed insiders like Amon s countryman Howden Ganley, Enzo Ferrari s assistant Brenda Vernor, and Grand Prix star Eva Marie Saint. It also goes beyond Amon s time with Ferrari, covering both his early years with the Cooper and Parnell teams, his 1966 victory at Le Mans with Bruce McLaren, and his later career with March and Matra.