10 replies to this topic

[Tuboscocca]

There was , for the first time, a Volkswagen Beetle entered in the '53 Mille Miglia.
Car was entered by Centauri (the then Italian VW importer), for Corti and himself.

It exists a Rio-model of the black car (with additional central headlight) with startnumber '026'.
In no starting list to be found!


But Surprise: the MM organization put it obviously in the 2-litre sportscar categorie under number '422'.
They arrived 222oa after nearly 17 hours...

Has someone seen the car in any old magazine or so??? I'm very much interested in any photo. During the scrutineering it may have had the '026' painted to the car??

Any help appreciated

Michael

[D-Type]

There was , for the first time, a Volkswagen Beetle entered in the '53 Mille Miglia.
Car was entered by Centauri (the then Italian VW importer), for Corti and himself.

It exists a Rio-model of the black car (with additional central headlight) with startnumber '026'.
In no starting list to be found!


But Surprise: the MM organization put it obviously in the 2-litre sportscar categorie under number '422'.
They arrived 222oa after nearly 17 hours...

Has someone seen the car in any old magazine or so??? I'm very much interested in any photo. During the scrutineering it may have had the '026' painted to the car??

Any help appreciated

Michael

I checked on Martin Krejci's great site'. He has Corti and Antonio Centenari in VW no 422 finishing 22nd and running in the 2-litre sports car class which confirms what you have stated. But, under "In entry list" he also has G. Corti and Antonio Centenari listed as no 026 in a Simca Aronde in the 1.3-litre touring car class.

Rio will have modelled the car based on something, maybe a photo, they won't have invented number 026 on the VW.

Speculating, could Corti and Centenari have originally entered the Simca then tried to switch the entry (and number) to the VW, but the organisers wouldn't recognise the VW as a [homologated] touring car and insisted it run in the sports car class. Speculating further, nos 423 to 440 are all Porsches, so might 422 have originally been allocated to a Porsche?

Just a thought, based on absolutely no evidence..

[Tuboscocca]

I checked on Martin Krejci's great site'. He has Corti and Antonio Centenari in VW no 422 finishing 22nd and running in the 2-litre sports car class which confirms what you have stated. But, under "In entry list" he also has G. Corti and Antonio Centenari listed as no 026 in a Simca Aronde in the 1.3-litre touring car class.

Rio will have modelled the car based on something, maybe a photo, they won't have invented number 026 on the VW.

Speculating, could Corti and Centenari have originally entered the Simca then tried to switch the entry (and number) to the VW, but the organisers wouldn't recognise the VW as a [homologated] touring car and insisted it run in the sports car class. Speculating further, nos 423 to 440 are all Porsches, so might 422 have originally been allocated to a Porsche?

Just a thought, based on absolutely no evidence..

Duncan thanks for the Krejci's site hint.

The Simca entry is new to me (where is the informazion from??)..According to the almost reliable 'Anselmi/Moretti' Mille Miglia identikit, 026 is not mentioned at all...only 422.
As Centauri was the VW importer for Italy , it sounds a bit strange that he would enter a Simca Aronde? And as explanation for the re-grouping of the Standard Beetle(??), maybe it was too much modified (as Strähles entry in 1954).But why they put this car in the 2-litre Sportscar class??

Guesswork is continuing.

There is a new bookseries on the postwar MM.1957 is already published. Remarkable is, that the author has had REAL access to the MM archive (each entry has a seperate file).So he already told in the first book that there are some corrections needed to the otherwise reliable Anselmi/Moretti list..

Have we to wait til the 53 book is published??

Regards Michael

[David McKinney]

But why they put this car in the 2-litre Sportscar class??

Was it supercharged?

[D-Type]

The classes in 1953 were: Sports < 1.1 Litres, 1.1 - 2 Litres, >2 Litres and Touring <750cc, 750cc - 1.3 Litres, 1.3 - 2 Litres, >2 Litres.

So, if a 1200cc VW was transferred from the 1.3 litre Touring class, it would have to go to the 2 litre Sports class.

Edited by D-Type, 27 July 2011 - 20:31.

[Tuboscocca]

The classes in 1953 were: Sports < 1.1 Litres, 1.1 - 2 Litres, >2 Litres and Touring <750cc, 750cc - 1.3 Litres, 1.3 - 2 Litres, >2 Litres.

So, if a 1200cc VW was transferred from the 1.3 litre Touring class, it would have to go to the 2 litre Sports class.

Duncan thank you--could have answered my question MYSELF!! (careful reading is essential!!)

As for supercharging--I don't think so--normally (as Strähle in 1954) they borrowed something from Porsche (i.e engine or brakes)

Michael

[Hugo Boecker]

This pic appeared in an Italian historic car magazin some years ago. AFAIK is is from one of the first MM rallies held from 1958 onwards.

[Tuboscocca]

This pic appeared in an Italian historic car magazin some years ago. AFAIK is is from one of the first MM rallies held from 1958 onwards.

Hugo-where is the picture, please??

regards Michael

[Hugo Boecker]

The mag must be published in 2004 or 2006 something like Autoitalia or something like that.

[D-Type]

Hugo-where is the picture, please??

regards Michael

The mag must be published in 2004 or 2006 something like Autoitalia or something like that.

Hugo,

We can't see the picture - not even a red X

[Tuboscocca]

Hugo,

We can't see the picture - not even a red X

If it's Auto Italia --is that the UK magazine?? Don't know an ITALIAN magazine named 'Auto Italia'??
Confusion!!

Michael