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1938 Mille Miglia- Biondetti and Pintacuda


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#1 L'Autista

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Posted 27 June 2006 - 03:22

Hi all

I am in the early stages of gathering some research on the sports racing history of Clemente and Carlo. Often in the past I have read commentaries on the '38 Mille regarding Pintacuda leading through Rome but then having brake problems and thus losing the lead to Biondetti- but the review I read earlier today insinuated this caused the end of the friendship between the two drivers, as Carlo felt cheated. This was something I had not read previously, and I was wondering if anyone could shed more light on this.

Can anyone recommend any books or sites that detail either driver's racing career?

Thanks

Adam

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#2 Patrick Italiano

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Posted 27 June 2006 - 16:00

Simon Moore's book on the 8C2900s contains a comprehensive chapter of the 1938 MM, but I understand it's a very difficult to find book, whose prices are skyrocket high.

OTOH, a book has been published earlier this year on Biondetti, but since I don't have it I can't comment on the contents.

#3 Vitesse2

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Posted 27 June 2006 - 22:19

I'd missed this one, despite being on Libreria dell'Automobile's mailing list. I presume this is the book Patrick means:

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So, do any of our Italian friends have a copy? And does it shed any light on Biondetti's mysteriously quiet 1935 season and/or the possibly mythical Biondetti GP car?

#4 L'Autista

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Posted 28 June 2006 - 02:40

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

Are there any opinions people want to share on the prime years of Biondetti's driving? Was it pre-war or post (when he won the Mille 3 times consecutively and the Targa Florio twice)?

Did Carlo receive a fair shot in Grand Prix racing?

#5 raceannouncer2003

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Posted 28 June 2006 - 06:21

This on Biondetti from "Great Racing Drivers of the World" by Hans Tanner - 1958:

http://img460.images...detti3081qx.jpg

http://img396.images...etti23094cn.jpg

Last month, I received my diecast model of Biondetti's 1949 Mille Miglia winning Ferrari 166MM...cool!!!

Vince Howlett, Victoria, B.C., Canada

#6 alessandro silva

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Posted 08 July 2006 - 19:53

Apparently Pintacuda complained about obstructionist driving by Biondetti during the 1938 MM. He had been a few hundreds kms behind him without a chance of overtaking, being in this way denied the possibility of trying to get back the difference in time of the respective starts.
Hard feelings, if they ever existed, were certainhly overcome by 1940. A photo portrait of Pintacuda with very friendly written dedication to Biondetti is reproduced in the book Richard is talking about.
This book - by the way - is not worth even the very reasonable price asked for it.

I take the opportunity to draw your attention to three Italian books on unusual subjects which came out lately.

1) C. Gialli - Brilli Peri L'Africano - a much better biographical study than that on Biondetti with a gem in appendix: information on forgotten drivers from Arezzo (as Brilli) Serboli, Toti and Basagni.

2) G. Prisco - Mario Umberto Borzacchini - another thorough biography. This book is not new, but has got wider distribution only now.

3) Daniele Cantini - Jacques de Rham [etc] e la sua Scuderia Maremmana - An excellent book on a very unusual subject. A Swiss gentleman expatriate in Tuscany running on his own money a team of five/six old Grand Prix cars and a few sports cars and voiturettes from 1935 to 1937. Several second-string Italian professional drivers (Biondetti, Ghersi, Barbieri, Severi etc) drove for him. This man also introduced karting in Italy in the late 50s!
The Author runs the Rome branch of the Libreria dell' Automobile. All four books might be purchased there.