The 24. edizione Mille Miglia (Italian for "One Thousand Miles") was an auto race held on a course totalling 992.332 miles (1,597.004 km), made up entirely of public roads around Italy, mostly on the outer parts of the country on 11–12 May 1957. The route was based on a round trip between Brescia and Rome, with start/finish in Brescia. It was the 3rd round of the 1957 World Sportscar Championship season.[1]

Official poster.

As in previous years, the event was a race against the clock, as the cars were released at one-minute intervals. In the Mille Miglia, the smaller displacement, slower cars started first. Each car number related to their allocated start time. For example, Wolfgang von Trips's car had the number 532, he left Brescia at 5:32am, while the first cars had started late in the evening on the previous day. Some drivers went with navigators, others did not; a number of local Italian drivers had knowledge of the routes being used and felt confident enough that they would not need one.[1]

This race was won by Scuderia Ferrari driver Piero Taruffi without the aid of a navigator, the 3rd time in the past 4 years that a driver won the race without a navigator. He completed the 992-mile distance in 10 hours, 27 minutes and 47 seconds- an average speed of 94.841 mph (152.632 km/h). The Italian finished three minutes in front of his second-placed team-mate, the German driver, von Trips. Olivier Gendebien and Jacques Washer were next, ensuring Scuderia Ferrari finished 1-2-3.[2] The race is marked with fatal crashes of drivers Alfonso de Portago and Josef H. Göttgens, the former involving in an accident that claimed the lives of nine spectators near the road.

Report

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Enzo Ferrari with Peter Collins shortly before departure

Entry

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A total of 391 cars were entered for the event, across 25 classes based on engine sizes, ranging from up to 750cc to over 2.0-litre, for Grand Touring Cars, Touring Cars and Sport Cars. Of these, 310 cars started the event. The limit on the number of starts was reduced from previous years. The Auto Club of Brescia took steps to try to combat the unsportsmanlike tactics by which some competitors sought to negate the procedure of drawing lots for departure times.[1][3][copyright violation?]

Even though the event continued to count towards the World Sportscar Championship, only Ferrari and Maserati entered works teams. Officine Alfieri Maserati was in receivership but still managed to have two 450Ss for Stirling Moss and Jean Behra, a brand new 350S for Hans Herrmann and older 300S for the Italian Giorgio Scarlatti. Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari entered four Sports cars, to be driven by Taruffi, von Trips, Peter Collins and Alfonso de Portago. They also entered Olivier Gendebien in a Grand Touring car. Britain was represented by a single semi-works Jaguar D-Type, entered by the Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse for Ron Flockhart.[2][3][4]

One of the more unusual entrants was a Kurtis Kraft roadster for Akton Miller, a car constructed in the US, with a powerful 6.4 litre Chrysler engine, mounted on a space-frame single seat chassis, designed for use on American oval circuits.[5][3]

Race

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Linda Christian kissing Alfonso de Portago before the latter departed for his last part of the Mille Miglia race. The photo is popularly known as "The Kiss of Death" (Il Bacio della Morte).[6][7][8][9]

Soon after the race started, Maserati's hopes vanished. Before the event even started, Behra was out, having crashed his 450S during pre-test. Moss was forced to retire soon after the start having rather dangerously snapped a brake pedal. Herrmann did not get as far as the Ravenna checkpoint.[5][3][copyright violation?]

In Guidizzolo, less than 40 miles from the finish in Brescia, de Portago's front tyre exploded.[10] He lost control of the car; it hit a telephone pole, jumped over a brook, then hit several spectators.[10] The Ferrari then bounced back on the road, hitting more spectators, slid over the road, spinning, and ended up, wheels down, in a brook at the other side of the road. In addition to de Portago, his American navigator Edmund Gunner Nelson and nine spectators – among them five children – lost their lives.[10] A further 20 were injured. De Portago's body was found near the car, severed in half. Furthermore, Dutchman Josef Göttgens crashed his Triumph TR3 near Florence and later died of his injuries in a Florence hospital.[5][3][11][12][copyright violation?]

When Taruffi arrived back in Brescia, he was dueling with von Trips but had a three-minute advantage over him due to a later start time. Gendebien finished third, completing a top three sweep for Ferrari. Maserati experienced a debacle with only Scarlatti arriving in Brescia in fourth place overall, followed 15 minutes later by the Porsche 550 RS of Umberto Maglioli. Taruffi reached Brescia after racing for 10 hours and 27 minutes after he left Brescia at 05:35.[3][1][2][4]

Three days after the race, the Italian government decreed the end of the Mille Miglia and banned all motor racing on the public roads of Italy. Taruffi thus became the last winner of this famous event.[3][4]

Classification

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Official results

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Of the 310 starters, 172 were classified as finishers. Therefore, only a selection of notable racers has been listed below.

Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos. No. Class Driver Entrant Car - Engine Time Reason Out
1st 535 S+2.0   Piero Taruffi Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 315 S 10hr 27:47  
2nd 532 S+2.0   Wolfgang von Trips Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 315 S 10hr 30:48
3rd 417 GT+2.0   Olivier Gendebien   Jacques Washer Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 250 GT LWB Scaglietti 10hr 35:53  
4th 530 S+2.0   Giorgio Scarlatti Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 300S 11hr 00:58  
5th 349 S1.5   Umberto Maglioli Porsche 550 RS 11hr 14:07
6th 441 GT+2.0   Camillo Luglio   Umberto Carli Ferrari 250 GT LWB Zagato 11hr 26.58  
7th 431 GT+2.0   Paolo Ferraro Ferrari 250 GT LWB Scaglietti 11hr 30:55
8th 451 S2.0   Gino Munaron Ferrari 500 TRC 11hr 32:04
9th 430 GT+2.0   Albino Buticchi Ferrari 250 GT LWB Zagato 11hr 44:27  
10th 458 S2.0   Gotfrid Köchert Gotfrid Köchert Ferrari 500 TRC 11hr 49:02
11th 354 S1.5   Heinz Schiller Ecurie La Meute Porsche 550 RS 11hr 54:24
12th 453 S2.0   Siro Sbraci Ferrari 500 TRC 12hr 02:08
13th 507 S2.0   Jean Guichet Ferrari 500 Mondial 12hr 08:22
14th 225 GT1.6   Paul-Ernst Strähle   Herbert Linge Porsche 356A Carrera 12hr 10:08
15th 442 GT+2.0   ”Kammamuri”   Vincenzo Bellini Ferrari 250 GT LWB Scaglietti 12hr 21:21
16th 435 GT+2.0   Erasmo Crivellari   Oscar Papais Ferrari 250 GT LWB Scaglietti 12hr 22:08
17th 224 GT1.6   Dieter Lissmann Porsche 356A Carrera 12hr 29:45
18th 217 GT1.6   Hans-Joachim Walter   R. Reinhold Porsche 356A Carrera 12hr 33:18
19th 422 GT+2.0   Guido Mario Terzi Lancia Aurelia B20 12hr 35:45
20th 105 GT1.3   Henry Convert   Raul Martin Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV 12hr 39:44
21st 122 GT1.3   Pietro Laureati Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV 12hr 44:50
22nd 450 S2.0   Odoardo Govoni Maserati A6GCS 12hr 46:07  
23rd 504 S2.0   Nando Pagliarini Maserati 200SI 12hr 47:47
24th 102 GT1.3   Kostas Spiliotakis   S. Zannos Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV 12hr 48:54
25th 439 GT+2.0   Ovidio Capelli Ferrari 250 GT LWB Scaglietti 12hr 49:28
26th 325 S1.1   Giulio Cabianca Osca S950 12hr 51:46
27th 403 S1.5   Harald von Saucken   Georg Bialas Porsche 550 RS 12hr 54:05
28th 410 TS+2.0   Albert Heuberger BMW 502 12hr 54:33
29th 109 GT1.3   Bruno Grazioli Vicenza   Paolo Grazioli Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV 12hr 54:47
30th 117 GT1.3   Rocco Lanzini   Gianfranco Stanga Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV 12hr 55:16
31st 357 GT1.3   Robin Carnegie Fitzwilliam Racing Team MG A 12hr 55:21
33rd 121 GT1.3   Carlo Mario Abate Alfa Romeo Giulietta SVZ 13hr 00:04
34th 308 GT2.0   Luigi Nobile   Pietro Cagnana Fiat 8V Zagato 13hr 00:49
37th 414 GT+2.0   Tommy Wisdom   Cecil Winby Austin-Healey 100/Six 13hr 04:10
41st 230 GT1.6   Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 356A Carrera 13hr 06:58
46th 409 TS+2.0   Walter Löffler   Carsten Johansson BMW 502 13hr 18:27
50th 012 GT1.1   Luciano Mantovani Lancia Appia GT Zagato 13hr 20:22
54th 024 GT1.1   Enrico Anselmi Lancia Appia GT Zagato 13hr 23:39
58th 138 S750   Giancarlo Rigamonti Osca S750 13hr 29:41
59th 505 S2.0   Roberto Montali Ferrari 500 Mondial berlinetta 13hr 29:44  
63rd 52 GT750   Alfonso Thiele Fiat-Abarth 750 GT Zagato 13hr 32:33
66th 040 TS1.3   Roger Delagenste Peugeot 403 13hr 34:17
68th 40 GT750   Marino Guarnieri Fiat-Abarth 750 GT Zagato 13hr 38:40
73rd 015 GT1.1   Giorgio Lurani Lancia Appia GT Zagato 13hr 40:52
77th 46 GT750   Vittorio Gianni   Luciano Gianni Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato 13hr 45:57  
78th 208 TS1.6   Joachim Springer Ford Taunus 15 M 13hr 46:54
79th 348 S1.5   Georges Berger   René Foiret Maserati 150S 13hr 47:28
81st 73 GT1.0   Jean-Claude Vidilles D.B-Panhard HBR 13hr 47:42
83rd 64 TS1.0   Paul Frère Renault Dauphine 13hr 47:55
86th 256 TS2.0   Jean Aumas   Willy Brandt Alfa Romeo 1900TI 13hr 56:24
87th 244 T2.0   Achille Fona   Amletto Della Fona Alfa Romeo 1900TI 13hr 56:30
91st 006 TS1.1   Ersilio Mandrini   Luigi Bertassi Alfa Romeo Giulietta 14hr 16:55
93rd 212 TS1.6   Peter Harper   Jackie Reece Sunbeam Rapier 14hr 06:16
95th 206 T1.6   Paul Guiraud   G. Chevron Peugeot 403 14hr 12:28
98th 257 TS2.0   Claude Bourillot   Pierre About Citroën DS19 14hr 15:16
99th 032 T1.3   Alberto Massari   Pier Luigi Gatti Peugeot 403 14hr 12:28
103rd 253 TS2.0   Louis Chiron   André Testut Citroën DS19 14hr 22:01
108th 2348 T1.1   Dino Faggi Fiat 1100/103TV 14hr 31:23
110th 71 TS1.0   Maurice Michy Renault Dauphine 14hr 32:53
141st 63 T1.0   Robert Chancel   Bergonoukoux Panhard Dyna 54 15hr 22:40
154th 14 TS750   Louis Chardin Renault 4CV 15hr 59:47
161st 3 T750   Carl Lohmander   Harald Kronegård Saab 93 16hr 40:22
172nd 77 GT1.0   Gerard Parmentier D.B.-Panhard HBR 18hr 34:03
DNF 534 S+2.0   Peter Collins   Louis Klemantaski Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 335 S 5hr 03:11 Drive shaft
DNF 531 S+2.0   Alfonso de Portago   Edmont Nelson Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 335 S 5hr 17:43 Fatal accident
(de Portago & Nelson)  
DNF 448 S2.0   Franco Bordoni Maserati 200SI 6hr 32:24 DNF
DNF 337 S1.1   Gregor Grant Lotus-Climax Eleven 6hr 58:42 Split fuel tank
DNF 437 GT+2.0   Piero Scotti   Adalberto Parenti Mercedes-Benz 300 SL DNF
DNF 69 TS1.0   Jean Lucas Renault Dauphine 7hr 18:43 DNF
DNF 39 GT750   Jean Rédélé Alpine A106 MM 7hr 26:49 DNF
DNF 309 GT2.0   Joseph H. Göttgens Triumph TR3 7hr 56:12 Fatal accident
DNF 141 S750   René Philippe Faure Stanguellini Efac Sport 750 DNF
DNF 213 TS1.6   Sheila van Damm   David Humphrey Sunbeam Rapier Accident
DNF 227 GT1.6   Gunnar Blomqvist Porsche 356A Carrera 1500 GS DNF  
DNF 301 GT2.0   Ludovico Scarfiotti Fiat 8V Zagato DNF
DNF 339 S1.1   Bruno Ferrari Lotus-Climax Eleven DNF
DNF 428 GT+2.0   Bengt Martenson   Wittigo von Einseidel Mercedes-Benz 300 SL DNF
DNF 440 GT+2.0   Wolfgang Seidel   Helmut Glöckler Mercedes-Benz 300 SL DNF
DNF 506 S2.0   Luigi Bellucci Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 200SI Oil leak
DNF 518 S+2.0   Ron Flockhart Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type Loose fuel tank
DNF 524 S+2.0   Ak Miller   Douglas Harrison Akton Miller Caballo de Hiero-Chrysler Mk II Broken exhaust
DNF 115 GT1.3   Henry N. Manney III Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV DNF
DNF 533 S+2.0   Hans Herrmann Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 350S Holed sump
DNF 537 S+2.0   Stirling Moss   Denis Jenkinson Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 450S Broken brake pedal

[1][13][14]

Class winners

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Taruffi and von Trips cross the finish line in Brescia on 12 May 1957.
Class Winners
Sport +2000 535 Ferrari 315 S Taruffi
Sports 2000 451 Ferrari 500 TRC Munaron
Sports 1500 349 Porsche 550 RS Maglioli
Sports 1100 325 Osca S950 Cabianca
Sports 750 138 Osca S750 Rigamonti
Grand Touring +2000 417 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Scaglietti Gendebien / Washer
Grand Touring 2000 308 Fiat 8V Zagato Nobile / Cagnana
Grand Touring 1600 225 Porsche 356A Carrera Strähle / Linge
Grand Touring 1300 105 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV Convert / Martin
Grand Touring 1100 012 Lancia Appia GT Zagato Mantovani
Grand Touring 1000 73 D.B.-Panhard HBR Vidilles
Grand Touring 750 52 Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato Thiele
Touring Special +2000 410 BMW 502 Heuberger
Touring Special 2000 256 Alfa Romeo 1900 TI Aumas / Brandt
Touring Special 1600 208 Ford Taunus 15 M Springer
Touring Special 1300 040 Peugeot 403 Delageneste
Touring Special 1100 006 Fiat 1100/103 Mandrini / Bertassi
Touring Special 1000 64 Renault Dauphine Frère
Touring Special 750 14 Renault 4CV Chardin
Touring Prep 2000 244 Alfa Romeo 1900 TI Fona / Della Tore
Touring Prep 1600 206 Peugeot 403 Guiraud / Chevron
Touring Prep 1300 032 Alf Romeo Giulietta Massari / Gatti
Touring Prep 1100 2348 Fiat 1100/103 TV Faggi
Touring Prep 1000 63 Panhard Dyna 54 Chancel / Bergonoukoux
Touring Prep 750 3 Saab 93 Lohmander / Kronegård

[1]

Standings after the race

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Pos Championship Points
1   Ferrari 19
2   Maserati 17
3   Jaguar 7
4   Porsche 2
5   O.S.C.A. 1
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
    Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 4 results out of the 6 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.
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The race is dramatized in the 2023 film Ferrari, including a scene of Alfonso de Portago’s crash.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Mille Miglia 1957 - Racing Sports Cars".
  2. ^ a b c "Reference at www.teamdan.com". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "1957 Mille Miglia". 10 September 2010.
  4. ^ a b c "Mille Miglia History – End of an era: 1957 | Mille Miglia". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  5. ^ Lerner, Preston (May 2018). Speed Read Ferrari: The History, Technology and Design Behind Italy's Legendary Automaker. Quarto Publishing Group USA. ISBN 9780760360415.
  6. ^ Eason, Kevin. "No seatbelts, 170mph: Days of death and dynamism".
  7. ^ Levy, Shawn (27 October 2016). Dolce Vita Confidential: Fellini, Loren, Pucci, Paparazzi and the Swinging High Life of 1950s Rome. Orion. ISBN 9781474606172.
  8. ^ Hays, Charlotte (7 August 2007). The Fortune Hunters: Dazzling Women and the Men They Married. St. Martin's Publishing. ISBN 9781429917438.
  9. ^ a b c Rospigliosi, William (May 20, 1957). "Horror in Italy". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 6, no. 20. Chicago. pp. 12–15. Retrieved February 3, 2024. Marquis Alfonso de Portago dies in a holocaust which probably spells the end of the Mille Miglia, greatest of all the open-road auto races.
  10. ^ "The Ten Most Infamous Crashes in Racing". 20 July 2010.
  11. ^ "DB - Races - 1957 Mille Miglia".
  12. ^ "Reference at www.teamdan.com". [permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "World Sports Racing Prototypes - World Championship 1957". Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-08-25.

Further reading

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  • Anthony Pritchard. The Mille Miglia: The World's Greatest Road Race. J H Haynes & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-1844251391
  • Leonardo Acerbi. Mille Miglia Story 1927-1957. Giorgio Nada Editore. ISBN 978-8879115490
  • Mille Miglia 1957: L'Ultimo Atto Di Una Corsa Leggendaria. Giorgio Nada Editore. ISBN 978-8879115322


World Sportscar Championship
Previous race:
12 Hours of Sebring
1957 season Next race:
1000km of Nürburgring