Vigliemo Matozza

On of the most intriguing stories in F1 has to be that of Vigliemo Matozza and his VM-Tatra. As told by Mike Lawrence, Matozza entered the 1954 GP des Frontieres, but fell asleep and missed practice and ... that's it. What happened? Surely after all that effort, he would at least attempted to race the car somewhere?

According his son, who also drove at Chimay and Spa (60's -70's), he transformed his car in a 2 L sportscar to enter it in some hillclimb or speed races in Belgium.

Looking at the newspapers, I've found some results of the car and the driver. Sorry to disappoint you but the results were ofter last or last but one in his class. And the journalists seems not to know the car and the driver as both were often mispelled. The car (VM) was sometimes seen as a Veritas Meteor, WM, BM, MV or VW,...

A picture of the car in his original form was published in a local newspaper from the region of Charleroi just before the 1954 GP des Frontières. It should be the only picture of the car...

Viglielmo Matozza was a driver in the 30's. He took part in the 1933 24 H of Belgium at Francorchamps finishing 9th driving an Alfa Romeo and in the GP des Frontières. More than 20 years later, he decided to make his comeback, building his own car in his garage at Fraire in Belgium.

The car still exists but not in his original form.

I really feel sympathy for Mr Matozza, one big race in his own car and he slept over...

I have a friend, a half-time musician who once was engaged to play with our local Symphony Orchestra. He was so happy, once in a life-time to be in a real proffessional classic orchestra and all he have to do was to make a single "bang" on his cymbals. He told all his friends to come and see and hear, it was something by Gustaf Mahler, 3.5 hours long. Of course his missed his "bang"...

Stefan

That brings two things to mind ...

Firstly the story of the man who went to a Mahler concert. It started at 18.00 hours. After the music had been playing for three hours, he looked at his watch: it was 6.20!!

And secondly Charlie Drake's wonderful one-man film which won the Golden Rose of Montreux, in which he played an entire orchestra! There was a triangle player, patiently counting the bars ... I'm sure you can guess the rest!!!

Firstly the story of the man who went to a Mahler concert. It started at 18.00 hours. After the music had been playing for three hours, he looked at his watch: it was 6.20!!

I understand. My friend, the part-time musician was not the only one who fell a sleep that night! It was not like Bruce Springsteens World Tour 1985...


Marcor, I know you are a person who can do the impossible - can you get the picture of the car? You know, me and obscure racingcars... I love it.

Here is one, a A "BLG 2000", built by Swede Bertil Lundberg, 16th at German GP 1950. BMW 328 engine.

Ooops, sorry for the empty space in the posting above. What did I do wrong?

Stefan

You appear to have posted a vast number of blank or transparent images!! Probably easiest if you delete the post and start again!

I can't imagine what bizarre picture-posting error could have inadvertently made this one of the 'longest' threads in TNF history, but what the hell, it is worth it to see that pic of the BLG.

But I hope the big blank space doesn't discourage anyone from getting to the bottom of the thread, and I hope Stefan isn't discouraged from scouring his Belgian archives to find a pic of the VM.

So, the VM became a sports car! In that case, whilst a pic of it in original form would be marvellous, I'd quite like to see it in its later form, if anyone has one.

Don't know what's wrong with you guys - I get a nice pic of the BLG every time I log into this thread