17 replies to this topic

[Allen Brown]

In 1975, Jacques Laffite in the #21 second Williams entry in F1 was sponsored by FINA, Marlboro, Personal, and Ambrozium H7.  I know what FINA and Marlboro do, and I think Personal was to do with male personal grooming (aftershave IIRC), but I can't remember what Ambrosium H7 was.  Can anyone help?

 

The company was also Laffite's sponsor in F2 with Martini in 1975, and previously it sponsored Loris Kessel in F2 in 1974.  

 

Doug Nye's 1982 book on Williams just refers to "personal sponsorship from a very tough Swiss businessman named Ambrozium".  I am confident that this is not the Franco Ambrosio who sponsored Shadow and Arrows a little later, and I don't think Banco Ambrosiano is related either.

 

The usually very reliable 'MUSTANG66' on Autodiva referred to it as a vitamin product devised by a fellow from Lugano.  An elixir of life?  Anyone know any more?

 

 

[Rupertlt1]

See:

 

https://www.e-newspa...um-------0-----

 

RGDS RLT

[Cavalier53]

But wasn't Personal the still-running steering wheel brand?

[Regazzoni]

See:

 

https://www.e-newspa...um-------0-----

 

RGDS RLT

 

Basically, a fraud:

 

BELLINZONE . - Une plainte pénale vient dêtre déposée auprès du procureur général du Sopraceneri contre un laboratoire pharmaceutique de Locarno , accusé d avoir lancé sur le marché un médicament « miracle » appelé « Ambrozium » , à base de vitamines et de pollen , prétendument indiqué pour soigner la tuberculose , l anémie pernicieuse ou autres affections sérieuses . Au surplus , ce médicament na été ni examiné ni enregistré par lOffice intercantonal de contrôle des médicaments ( OICM ) . La vente et la fabrication de ce médicament ont été formellement interdites par les autorités sanitaires tessinoises , et tout le matériel de production a été séquestré .

[Tim Murray]

If I’m correctly reading the linked article below, a Chinese ‘herbal’ remedy called chuifong toukuwan was being imported into Switzerland and sold under various names including Ambrozium. It was claimed to relieve the symptoms of rheumatism, arthritis and (probably) all afflictions known to humanity. However, it was found to contain a couple of drugs only available on prescription and known to be potentially harmful, so (as Regazzoni posted) the trade had been banned by the Swiss authorities.

http://doc.rero.ch/r.../1981-08-05.pdf

[Allen Brown]

Thanks guys, very helpful.  

[Regazzoni]

You are reading it right, Tim, only it seems this is unrelated to the Ambrozium case as that related to a laboratory located in Locarno and in November 1975, while the news in your link relates to a fraudulent commercial name sold through a PO box located in Mendrisio, quite away from Locarno, and in 1981.

 

What perhaps causes confusion is the location of both news, Bellinzona, which is the Ticino canton's capital and presumably where the correspondent's office was located in both cases.

 

Edit: they may well have been the same fraudsters, of course.

Edited by Regazzoni, 17 October 2019 - 08:51.

[Arjan de Roos]

Ambrozium H7 was marketed as a Wunder medicine. It was claimed to rejuvenate, as well as cure all kinds of diseases. Behind it was a pharmacist from Locarno, Dr. Cassina. He and brother and sister Taskov were later to stand trial in 1981 for falsification of documents, production and sales of Ambrozium.

Cassina had already been arrested by the end of 1976. Authorities had been on it and forbade production and sales already in 1975. During the trial it appeared that Cassina was seriously in depths, created partly by advertising campaigns (!). The three failed to disclose the recipe, also claiming it had been stolen by competitors spies. Also doctor Taskov was in fact nurse Taskov. In March 1981 Cassina got three years and 10 months, the Taskovs got 15 and 12 months jail.

Edited by Arjan de Roos, 17 October 2019 - 09:55.

[Allen Brown]

I've just found a news report in Autosport about this sponsor, but it's a bit muddled.  (Autosport 2 Jan 1975 p3).  It refers to Laffite having sponsorship from "the Swiss drugs company Caffina, who are based in Lucerne".  It then goes on to suggest that H7 and "Ambrosium" [sic] are two different but very similar products "which supposedly rejuvenates those over 40 years of age".  

 

It also confirms that Personal are Personal steering wheels, so I'd got that badly wrong

[Vitesse2]

It then goes on to suggest that H7 and "Ambrosium" [sic] are two different but very similar products "which supposedly rejuvenates those over 40 years of age".

So a sort of Swiss version of Phyllosan, then?

 

[Allen Brown]

I do feel sorry for the over 40s.  It must be awful.  Good thing I stopped at 39.

[Ray Bell]

Stopping's not good, Allen...

Care to rephrase that?

[Allen Brown]

Good point Ray.  Getting old is better than the alternative.

 

Perhaps I meant that I stopped ageing.  Or stopped counting...

[Arjan de Roos]

OT, yet in category ("F1 Sponsors from the 70's: Health Products").

 

https://www.123hb.com/service/welkom/

 

However this one flipped from "F1 Sponsors from the 70's: Security Services".

Edited by Arjan de Roos, 17 October 2019 - 14:06.

[Allen Brown]

Ambrozium H7 was marketed as a Wunder medicine. It was claimed to rejuvenate, as well as cure all kinds of diseases. Behind it was a pharmacist from Locarno, Dr. Cassina. He and brother and sister Taskov were later to stand trial in 1981 for falsification of documents, production and sales of Ambrozium.

Cassina had already been arrested by the end of 1976. Authorities had been on it and forbade production and sales already in 1975. During the trial it appeared that Cassina was seriously in depths, created partly by advertising campaigns (!). The three failed to disclose the recipe, also claiming it had been stolen by competitors spies. Also doctor Taskov was in fact nurse Taskov. In March 1981 Cassina got three years and 10 months, the Taskovs got 15 and 12 months jail.

 

Thanks Arjan - I didn't spot your post earlier.  So Cassina, not Caffina as Autosport had it.  

[ensign14]

Perhaps he had written his name like a 17th century Bible.

 

Have to be very careful when seeing a word that looks like "fuccour".

[Arjan de Roos]

I've just found a news report in Autosport about this sponsor, but it's a bit muddled.  (Autosport 2 Jan 1975 p3).  It refers to Laffite having sponsorship from "the Swiss drugs company Caffina, who are based in Lucerne".  It then goes on to suggest that H7 and "Ambrosium" [sic] are two different but very similar products "which supposedly rejuvenates those over 40 years of age".  ....

 

 

An interesting case and a sobering thought on how good it was back in 19…. Possibly his sponsorship money was welcome despite his past (if at all known to the fund receivers). In fact, Dr. Bruno Cassina was convicted for drug trafficking as early as 1962. He had been receiving parcels with cocaine in his Lucerne pharmacy and sold it on. For that he got a one year (!) sentence and a 1000 Franc fine for drug trafficking. He had been framed as a customer tipped him off after finding out he was cutting the real stuff.

In 1971 he was also linked to the death of a woman who had overdosed to morphine. He had been supplying her since 1969. News that was in the Swiss press.

 

In 1976 he was forced to, beside Ambrozium also withdraw Gerovita and Aslavital from the Swiss market. Now Gerovita seems to have a long history in the world of potions and snake oils. In the 80/90’s it was sold (also through the net) by Gero Vita International. A company of a person called Braswell who started to sell in the late seventies, early eighties products to cure baldness, delay the aging process, cause weight loss, etc.

Now one of the products he sold was called Gero-Vita GH3, supposedly an anti-aging formula developed further on a product from Europe called Gerovital H3. Here is your H3.

 

In 1995, the FDA banned the importation of all of Gero Vita's products marketed with claims that they can prevent or treat disease. All prison time and financial penalties could not stop the guy, even after his death. And still Gerovital and Aslavital are available on the net.

 

Another link with racing. Richard Petty (with two other famous sportsmen) filed suit in a Californian federal court against Braswell and Gero Vita for misusing their names in advertisements for Prostata in 1997 claiming they suffered prostate problems. 

[Allen Brown]

Thanks Arjan.  Fascinating background.