220 replies to this topic

[island]

Hi!
He scored a point in his first GP, looked
good in the revised B3 (ran as high as fourth
at Zeltweg in 1973) and drove that March 761
so well in the 1976 British GP.
Just flashes in the pan? Or a potential GP
winner who never had the right car at the
right time?

[Huw Jenjin]

Funny that, Island, i justed posted something on little Art and the Austrian GP in the "Why Lauda" thread.
I agree little Art had far more talent than the bare figures show. I don't know what happened at the end of 73, but I cant see Ferrari to Frank's Iso Marlboros as a blinding flash of inspiration.
His weight would have to have something to do with his speed, but a look at all the cars he drove does point to a lack of visibility as a handicap!

[Barry Lake]

Huw
You beat me to the lack of visibility point.
I have seen photos of Merzario in F1 cars where you could swear there is no way he could have seen where he was going. His eyes don't even show over the front of the cockpit.
He apparently was a character. A mechanic who once worked with him in F1 told me they used to call him "Little Arthur" (English mechanics).
This same mechanic told me that when they would buckle Art into the car and pull the crotch straps tight, he would say, "Ooohhh! Thats'a nice!"
It stuck in my mind and ever after, when someone would strap me into an open-wheeler with full harness, it would just come out, without my even thinking about it.
"Ooohhh! Thats'a nice!"

[Dave Ware]

I agree with those who feel he had more talent than his F1 results show. You don't finish sixth in your first Grand Prix, even if it's in a Ferrari, without having a lot of ability.

He and Brambillia drove Alfa Romero sports cars for a year or two and won a lot of races and raced against each other. One year at the Glen they jumped the start, and were made to stop. They got yelled at.

Arturo seemed like a happy fellow. At the Canadian Grand Prix one year I found myself in the pits when a supporting race for sedans took the green. Arturo and a couple of friends ran to the wall and watched with great enthusiasm. His eyes lit up as though he was watching the greatest thing in the world. Here he was, a Grand Prix driver, yet he was enjoying watching a bunch of amatures race sedans.

Dave

[Ray Bell]

Like they all hung over the fence at Lakeside on the Friday before the Tasman race in 1964... McLaren, Brabham, Mayer, Hill, all watching Norm Beechey dealing with the streams of water across the otherwise dry exit to the kink in the straight.

------------------
Life and love are mixed with pain...

[RedFever]

This is my memory of Arturo.

I actually met Arturo Merzario in 1978 during the GP of Brazil at Jacarepagua.

My dad and I managed to get pit passes from Ferrari (the team flew on our same flight and my dad was the captain - it was exciting to see the cars being loaded into the 747 and knowing they were traveling with us to Rio de Janeiro).

On the same flight, there was the Merzario crew, which the Italian journalists on the flight called "Armata Brancaleone" after a movie with this guy - a sort of Don Quichote - who had a bunch of disorganized followers. I mingled with them and then saw them again during practice on Friday.

Through them I then had a chance to spend quite some time with Arturo. He was extremely nice and laid back (I was only 15 back then), very funny and jovial man. He was almost wearing all the time a cowboy hat, which was extremely funny if you think this was an Italian guy in Brazil, not a Texan in his ranch.

The highlight was going to dinner with him, 2 of his team members, my dad and 2 more Alitalia crew members. As we were getting ready to leave Jacarepagua for the day (Saturday after qualyfing - Arturo had failed to qualify even if he had the same time as Keegan, because he recorded it after him), Arturo (who had rented an Alfetta 3000) asked me if I wanted to go with him to the restaurant. You can imagine how overjoyed I was to be in a car with an F1 driver. However, as he inserted the reverse to take off, he almost grinded the entire gearbox, I don't know what he did wrong, but I found it very funny that even pro drivers could make such mistakes. We both laughed and we left with screeking and smoking tires. I doubt after Arturo used it for almost a week, that that Alfetta was rented for much longer....

[Dave Ware]

That's a great memory, RedFever. Thanks for relating the story to us.

Dave

[Megatron]

I always thought of a "kit car" meaning buying a Lola or a March and sticking a DFV in it. I don't think that Kaushen did either of them.

Why do they call the Kaushen effort "kit car"? Any other information on the Kaushen effort is welcomed.

[Frank de Jong]

In my view, ANY car having a DFV and a Hewland gearbox is called a kit car. Of course, lots of other parts could be bought as well, like brakes, springs, shock absorbers etc.
That leaves the monocoque, suspension and bodywork the main parts which should be designed and built by themselves - but these could be subcontracted as well, of course.
The Kauhsen had a DFV and Hewland gearbox - so it is a kitcar.

[Zawed]

The car was designed by a Klaus Kapitza with input from Professors Cramer, Gerhardt, and Jaeger (All from a technical high school in Aachen!), and an ex Porsche engineer Chabek. Joined up partway through the 1978 season with driver Brancatelli, had to pay $30000 to enter the F1 series, which went to pay fines for failing to join in the correct manner at the start of the season. Only tried for 2 GPs, the Spanish and the Belgian before Kauhsen took the decision to retire. Arturo Merzario later brought out some of the hardware for his own team. (From Doug Nye's History of the GP car)

[leegle]

Because there were so many British cars with the Cosworth engine and Hewland gearbox from 1969 onwards the British press started to call them 'kit cars' and the name stuck.

[Paul Medici]

Megatron
The term "kit cars" originated back in the days when Cooper and Lotus among others used the Coventry-Climax engine; so it would probably be around 1960 when the "kit cars" was first used.
Sorry, can't help with info on the Kaushen.
Best Regards,PJM

[David McKinney]

Although it's true many small British constructors used Climax engines in the 1960s, I don't recall the term "kit-car" being used, certainly not widely, until the DFV engine/Hewland gearbox era.

[Vitesse2]

"Kit car" was a 70s term; like David, I don't recall hearing it before then - Barry Boor's probably the best person to ask, as he actually built one!!!

A few random kit car examples:

Kauhsen
Connew
LEC
Rebaque
Bellasi
Chevron B41
de Tomaso 308
Ensign

etc etc etc ....

[leegle]

There was no really defined 'kit' in the earlier days of Lotus they only shared the Climax engine with Cooper. Cooper had the Citroen based gearbox and some had Colotti gearbox and Lotus had their own gearbox made by ZF. By 1963 there were many used Climax engines and many used BRM V8s too and the Hewlands were becoming more or less universal.
But in 1966 there were so many different engines and gearboxes as the new formula came in that there could not be anything considered a kit car.
Only when the Cosworth V8 became readily available and the Hewland become universal could the term really apply and so it was about 1971 that it became popular probably because Tyrrell could quickly build his own cars and win with them.;)

[BRG]

I agree that this was a term that came into popular useage in the 1970s. But I always thought that it was a perjorative term, used by the likes of Ferrari fans, to describe any team that didn't make their own engine and transmission. So it included Lotus, McLaren, Brabham, Tyrell, March and so on, not just the "tiddlers" and one-offs.

Basically, if you constructed a F1 chassis, then bought in standard spec components like a DFV, Hewland box, AP brakes, etc etc, you were building a "kit-car". In the early 1970s, pretty well everyone was doing that except Ferrari, BRM and Matra. Later, the demands of aerodynamics and better general packaging meant that teams started to make their own transmission (albeit still with Hewland cogs) and then the end of the DFV era meant that off-the-shelf cars died out.

[David McKinney]

I think you're right, BRG. I would certainly have included the bigger Cosworth/Hewland users under the heading, and yes, it was a slightly snooty term

[Megatron]

What are your memories of this driver? He drove for Ferrari with so-so results, then had terrible luck and cars with Williams/Iso Marlboro, a customer March, and finally his own car.

Does he have a personal sponsorship with Marlboro? In many photos, he is smoking a cig or wearing a big Marlboro hat.

[Barry Lake]

I think there was a Marlboro connection.

But two things I always remember about "Little Arthur".

The mechanic who told me that was his nick-name in the team (can't remember the mechanic or the team, sorry) also told me that, in the early days of six-point harnesses, when the mechanics would pull the crotch straps tight, on strapping him in, Merzario would always say "Oh! Thats-a niiiice!"

The second thing I always remember is that Arturo pioneered the current "sit on the floor and pop your eyes out on stalks to see over the scuttle" driving position. I have seen photos in which it appears certain he could not possibly see out of the front of the car.

[Vitesse2]

Little Art is still very much with us BTW - he was at Goodwood FoS this year and drove the Alfa T33/3 and the 159.

[Geza Sury]

I remember a couple of years ago he was still racing in Italian sportscars. I saw him winning a race and afterwards he stood on the podium wearing his usual Marlboro hat and smoking a cigarette.

Considering he was well over 50 already, (ha was born on 11th March, 1943) it's quite a feat! What a character!

[Rainer Nyberg]

This is from Monza in October 2001.



Not much to do with the Marlboro Man but this Maserati 250F c/n 2521 is from the same historic meeting, I think some forum members will appreciate it!

[Stefan Ornerdal]

Thanks, Rainer.

Isn't the 250F "THE RACING CAR" of the fifties? Beautiful!

Did'nt Little Art compete in the Maserati Ghibli Cup until very resently?

Stefan

[CSGPR]

Hi everybody

Arturo Merzario was, by my best opinion, a far better Grand Prix driver than his record shows. He had his Grand Prix debut for Ferrari in 1972 but at this time Ferrari was struggling to keep up and in 1973 Ferrari went into deep crises. Jacky Ickx left the Italian team midseason and it was then up to Merzario to bring back success to Ferrari. The odds was impossible as the Ferrari 312B3 was a really poor design at least in its first two layouts.
At the end of 1973 Ferrari decided to shut down their successful Sportscar programme to concentrate solely on Formula One. But unfortunately for Merzario - Ferrari decided to call on Clay Regazzoni from BRM and together with him the Swiss, a young promising driver by the name Niki Lauda, for their 1974 line-up.
Merzario went to Franck Williams and his Iso Marlboro team. But once more the odds was against the little Italian and while Ferrari saved their name in F1 in 1974, Frank William was still in the making of his and the Iso car left much to desire. And once again Merzario faced an uphill struggle throughout 1974. But it most certainly speaks in Merzario’s favour that he drove the Iso Williams to a fine fourth place in the Italian Grand Prix and notably on the same lap as the winner, Ronnie Peterson. But despite the fine result at Monza 1974 was the year where Merzario F1 dreams evaporated, and from then on he only enjoyed second and third hand drives at Williams, Fittipaldi, Wolf Williams and March before putting up his own team at the end of 1977. In 1978 he entered as a driver and constructor with a car design by G. Piola, today better known for his nice F1 cutaway drawings in many F1 magazines. The project was a failure and at the end of 1979 the F1 project was put on hold and the popular Italian left the F1 arena.

Arturo Merzario has raced in FIA Sportscar World Championship this season and is still going strong. Note that Merzario was one of the most successful Sportscar drivers in the mid and late seventies.

some pictures on the links below

http://latphoto.co.uk/html/*2PV_019188 and http://latphoto.co.uk/html/*2PV_026785


Regards

Christian

[stavelot]

The little Arturo became most popular after the huge crash of Niki Lauda on Nürburgring 1976.

Arturo, Guy Edwards and Brett Lunger have saved Niki unconscious and penned in the burning Ferrari.

A great little man from Civenna.

[Paolo]

I personally met Merzario in 95, when his son tried to create a F.Renault Italia Team with my late friend Sandro Corsini. I was a sort of Aero consultant for Corsini.
He is a charming person, not very much outgoing but very witty .
And absolutely not the "Look, I'm a living legend" type.
The thing I was more impressed of was his everyday driving style , when I snatched a ride on his Station Wagon : calm , disciplinated... even slow.
A man with brains.
About his guts, Niki Lauda will tell you...

[Prostfan]

In Austrian TV there was a report about a meeting between Merzario and Niki Lauda at the Monza GP 2001. Lauda was thanking him for rescueing him at the Nürburgring 1976.
He was wearing the Marlboro-cowboy hat like in Rainer Nyberg's picture.

[Gary C]

Wasn't it Arturo who dumped the Mercedes safety car into the gravel at Monza a couple of years ago, or was it him who stuffed the same car at Monaco last year???!?

[BRG]

Art was always a bit of favourite to me. I remember his excellent F1 debut - to qualify ninth and finish in the points in sixth place at your first GP is pretty impressive, even if you are in a Ferrari. I guess maybe Art suffered from Ferrari's lack of enthuusiasm for employing Italian drivers when he lost the seat to Lauda.

Does anyone know if he has any connection to the Merzario trucking company? Or is it a common name in Italy?

[fines]

Originally posted by Gary C
Wasn't it Arturo who dumped the Mercedes safety car into the gravel at Monza a couple of years ago, or was it him who stuffed the same car at Monaco last year???!?

I know the Monaco incident was Alex Ribeiro in the Medical car. The safety car is usually driven by some German TC star, Bernd Mayländer I think.

[Dave Ware]

As mentioned, in the late Seventies Arturo and Vittorio Brambilla were the lead drivers on the Alfa-Romeo endurance team. At the Glen one year we were at the lace (I think) of the boot, waiting for the 6 hours to start. Two Alfas, driven by the aforementioned Italians, came blasting through the chute loop, through the lace, and onward. Followed by something else and then either a Porsche 935 or something similar. Then the rest of the field. Still lined up in the pace lap position. The two Italians had jumped the start. The race was red-flagged, and starter Tex Hopkins, we were told by loudspeaker, had a few words for each driver. I believe that no translation was required.

The only other memory I have of Arturo is from the Canadian Grand Prix. I had snuck into the pit lane. Grand Prix practice was over and a local sedan race took the green flag. Arturo (wearing his hat, of course) ran with a couple of mechanics to stand on the pit wall to watch the race. Mind you, this was just a little sedan race (BMW 2002s, Datsun 510s, Mini Coopers, etc.) comprised of local amateur drivers. But Arthur has a big smile on his face, and his eyes glowed...

Dave

[2F-001]

(I'm new around here, so this is my first posting...)

I think I first realised that Arturo was something special at the ''Martini International'' 2-litre Group 6 at Silverstone in '72 (?). My father and I had decided to walk right around the track during the 2nd part and we had a downpour of biblical proportions - we got our feet wet right up to our armpits. Deiter Quester had won the 1st dry part with the new-ish BMW M12(?) engined Chevron, but in the wet little Art ran rings around everyone, sliding and spinning but keeping it all going and even finding time to wave to crowd as he recovered from a few lurid moments.

I think I saw him race last year, or the year before in the lower class of the Sports Prototype series (or whatever it's called this week).

Once saw his race team disgorging its car and equipment into the paddock from a tarpaulin-sided truck bearing the legend 'Mezario Trucking Co' (or Italian equivalent) so I always assumed there was a family connection at least - but as someone pointed out, it could be a co-incidence.

[interexcel104]

Slightly jumping the gun perhaps, but as I may not be able to post on the exact birthdate ...... Happy Birthday Artur(i)o Merzario !

Maybe we should remember some of the special achievements in the career of this piccolo grande pilota : a career spanning almost 40 years (scored a class win in the 1963 Rallye Sardegna driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ, scored a class win in the 2002 Carrera Panamericana driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider). And in between - around 2000 races entailing Grands Prix, F2, F3, sports cars, touring cars and go-karts.

Many may remember Merzario's Grand Prix career as a struggling driver/constructor, but consider these oft-overlooked facts:
A competitive 6th in his first GP (Brands Hatch 1972)
Two 4th placings for Ferrari in 1973 in a woeful season for the Scuderia
1974: Planting Frank Williams' Iso Marlboro (on Firestones at that) an amazing 3rd on the Kyalami grid and generally doing heroic things with the equipment at his disposal, particularly in Austria, Italy, and at the Glen
His privateer March performances (1976-1977) also provided performances which regularly outshone the works team's efforts.

Let's move on to sportscars, probably Art's forte:
Hillclimb victories for Abarth against Peter Schetty's works Ferrari
Victories at Targa Florio 1972 with Sandro Munari, and Kyalam 9 Hrs
Securing Sportscar championships for Alfa Romeo in for 1975 and 1977 (was the opposition really that bad?
Italian National Sportscar Championship victories, and ISRS class wins

There are many other noteworthy aspects to distinguish his career; like the variety of cars driven: how many other top-line drivers of the time can claim to have raced all of the classic Italian marques: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, De Tomaso, Ferrari. Fiat, Iso, Lancia, Maserati - and I believe Art also piloted a Lamborghini as a pace-car at Monza somewhere in the late 90's. (Don't know about Bizzarrini though). And then there were marques from other nationalities like Porsches and BMW Procars as well.

Another aspect to consider is Art's heroism - apart from the Lauda accident he was also on hand to render assistance at the Peterson incident and I believe at the Giunti accident as well.

This post may be getting over-long, and as you may have concluded, my favourite (not best , butfavourite ) driver of all time is the subject of this post. But there is still so much to know, like: why Arturo Merzario prior to 1977, but Arturi o Merzario afterwards? Why (by some accounts) an acrimonious split with Frank Williams in 1975, only to rejoin the team in 1976?And what about the presumed antipathy between him and Jacky Ickx?

Like the Amon and De Cesaris threads, all of this merits a thread of it's own and TNF is the most knowledgeable place for this to happen. But on the 11th of March 2003, Saluti ai suoi Sessant'anni

[Pedro 917]

Happy Birthday Arturo !!!

Here's Arturo in Zolder 1997 where he drove a Centenari-Alfa Romeo in the International Sports Racing Series:



and here he is posing with my brother and John Surtees who was there to drive a pre-war Mercedes W-125 and the 300SL Panamericana:

[interexcel104]

Thanks for the pix, Pedro917 -

"Oooh, that's a-nice !!!" Courtesy of an esteemed previous poster on TNF.

[Kpy]

Thanks for the photos of a great guy. But where's the hat?

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by Kpy
Thanks for the photos of a great guy. But where's the hat?

;)

[interexcel104]

Geza,
Thanks for the pic.
Kpy,
I read somewhere, around 1998 (an ISRS related website if I remember correctly) that Art's capello famoso (the famous Marlboro hat) was stolen during a trip to my native country, South Africa. But I swear officer, it wasn't me......

[JacnGille]

Each time I think of "Little Art" I recall photos of him in various race cars, the top of his helmet barely visable, his visor completely hidden. How did he ever see to drive? Someone said that was why he was so fast!

[fines]

Sessant'anni? Cazzo mio!

I always liked the little man, he was so... different!

And good to see at least one heavy smoker still alive...

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Geza Sury



;)

OK, we've had the hat but what about the ever-present Fruit of the Loom T-shirt?


pete

[Richard Jenkins]

Hard to believe Little Art is in his 60's now but a very happy birthday all the same! Happy Birhtday too, if you don't mind, to Derek Daly who is 50 today!

[Barry Boor]

Happy Birthday, Arthur!

Strange that Little Art has got older, but his hair hasn't.

[Pedro 917]

Arturo had other talents too........

[fines]

Is that the tee?

[interexcel104]

Right on, Pedro 917 - Art was a pretty busy man off the racetracks as well. But returning to motor racing issues; can anyone shed some light on Art's racing schedule for 2003? I know that he competed in the World Sportscar as well as Euro GT series in 2002, but does he have any plans for 2003?

[Lutz G]

Can anybody confirm that this quote is from Arturo Merzario?

"Turn one is flat out. OK. But is it to the left or to the right?"

...when (which track?) did he say it?

Lutz

[Lutz G]

Anybody? I'm not sure where I saw it - could be from TNF...

[stavelot]

I think Arturo said that to Jacques Laffite in Monza 1974 about the Curva Grande.

[Lutz G]

@stavelot

Thanks!

Lutz