Scuderia Serenissima

Last updated
Scuderia Serenissima
1961 Ferrari 250 TR 61 Spyder Fantuzzi Serenissima.jpg
Full nameScuderia Serenissima Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia
BaseItaly
Founder(s) Giovanni Volpi
Noted drivers Flag of France.svg Maurice Trintignant
Flag of Italy.svg Giorgio Scarlatti
Flag of Italy.svg Nino Vaccarella
Formula One World Championship career
First entry 1961 Monaco Grand Prix
Races entered8 [1] [2]
Drivers'
Championships
0
Race victories 0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
Final entry 1962 Italian Grand Prix
Serenissima as a Formula One engine manufacturer
Formula One World Championship career
First entry 1966 Belgian Grand Prix
Last entry 1966 Dutch Grand Prix
Races entered3 (1 start)
Chassis McLaren
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers'
Championships
0
Race victories0
Podiums0
Points1
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
1961 Ferrari 250 TR modified by Giotto Bizzarrini for Volpi's Scuderia Serenissima 1961 Ferrari 250 TR 61 Spyder Fantuzzi 34 left 2.jpg
1961 Ferrari 250 TR modified by Giotto Bizzarrini for Volpi's Scuderia Serenissima

Scuderia Serenissima or Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia was an auto racing team funded by Giovanni Volpi and active in the early 1960s. The name "Serenissima" ("Most Serene") refers to one of the many definitions the city of Venice is known for, the Volpi family being originally from the area. Based in Sasso Marconi, close to Bologna, Serenissima mostly competed in Formula One and sports car racing. Originally the team had an engine supply agreement with Ferrari. When Volpi decided to financially support ATS, a Formula One team put together by Carlo Chiti, Giotto Bizzarrini, Romolo Tavoni and other breakaway Ferrari employees, Enzo Ferrari withdrew from the agreement. Serenissima subsequently turned to De Tomaso and Maserati without much success. Serenissima officially closed in 1970.

Contents

Formula One

Scuderia Serenissima made its debut in the 1961 Formula One World Championship. The team first entered a Cooper T51 for Maurice Trintignant at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished seventh. In Belgium, Trintignant retired after 23 laps with a broken gearbox after having qualified his car in 19th place. At the 1961 French Grand Prix, Scuderia Serenissima entered two cars – a Cooper for Trintignant and a De Tomaso for Giorgio Scarlatti. Trintignant finished in 13th place while Scarlatti retired on lap 15 when his engine broke down. At the German Grand Prix Trintignant retired on lap 12 when his engine broke down. In the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, the team again entered two cars, the Cooper for Trintignant and the De Tomaso for Nino Vaccarella. Trintignant finished the race in ninth place and Vaccarella retired on lap 13 when a failed engine.

For the following season, the team, now called Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia, entered a car for Nino Vaccarella. In Monaco, Vaccarella failed to qualify for the race. Three races later in Germany, Vaccarella finished in 15th place. The last Formula One race for the team was at Monza in Italy, where Vaccarella finished in 9th place.

Serenissima resurfaced in 1966 as engine supplier for McLaren. At the 1966 British Grand Prix Bruce McLaren finished in sixth place, scoring one World Championship point.

Sports car racing

Serenissima entered the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans with two Ferrari 250, one driven by Joakim Bonnier and Dan Gurney, and one by Carlo Maria Abate and Colin Davis. Both cars retired after 4 hours with gearbox problems. In the same year, the team won the Sebring 12 Hours with Bonnier and Lucien Bianchi. In 1963, Volpi began developing his own prototype GT car, the Jungla GT. It used a new V8 engine, designed by Alberto Massimino, with closed bodywork by Francesco Salomone (built by Gran Sport). A later open version was built by Medardo Fantuzzi. In 1966 Serenissima joined forces with Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team and fielded one car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by Vaccarella and Mario Casoni. The car retired after three hours with a water leak. A second car driven by gentleman driver Louis Corbero failed to qualify. In 1968, Volpi got interested in the idea of building a proper GT car with the help of Alejandro de Tomaso's Ghia Studios. The Ghia coupe, designed by Tom Tjaarda and Giorgetto Giugiaro, was originally fitted with a Massimino 3.5-litre V8 engine but later switched to a 3.0L Alf Francis M176 V8. At the 2019 Retromobile Show the car was auctioned for $504,053. [3]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

As a constructor

(key)

YearChassisEngineTyresDriver/s123456789
1961 Cooper T51
De Tomaso F1
Maserati 6-1500 1.5 L4
OSCA 372 1.5 L4
Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4
D MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA
Flag of France.svg Maurice Trintignant 7Ret13Ret9
Flag of Italy.svg Giorgio Scarlatti Ret
Flag of Italy.svg Nino Vaccarella Ret
1962 Lotus 18/21 24
Porsche 718
Climax FPF 1.5 L4
Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4
D NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA
Flag of Italy.svg Nino Vaccarella DNQ159
Source: [4]

As an engine supplier

(key)

YearEntrantChassisEngineTyresDrivers123456789WCCPoints
1966 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M2B Serenissima M166 3.0 V8 F MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX 12th1
Flag of New Zealand.svg Bruce McLaren DNS6DNS
Source: [5]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Arnoux</span> French racing driver (born 1948)

René Alexandre Arnoux is a French former racing driver who competed in 12 Formula One seasons. He participated in 165 World Championship Grands Prix winning seven of them, achieving 22 podium finishes and scoring 181 career points. His best finish in the World Drivers' Championship was third in 1983 for Ferrari. In 1977, Arnoux won the European Formula Two Championship. In 2006 he raced in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters series for retired F1 drivers.

ATS is an Italian automotive constructor. It once had a racing team that operated between 1963 and 1965, formed after the famous "Palace Revolution" at Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 6 July 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was race 4 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. Unusually this race was run over a duration of 3 hours, rather than a fixed distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1952 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 September 1952 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. José Froilán González finished second for the Maserati team and Ascari's teammate Luigi Villoresi came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Dutch Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1953 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 June 1953 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammate Nino Farina finished second and Maserati drivers José Froilán González and Felice Bonetto came in third

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 21 June 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 4 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 36-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from second position. His teammate Luigi Villoresi finished second and Maserati driver Onofre Marimón came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1954 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 1954 at Pedralbes. It was the ninth and final race in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn after he started from third position. Luigi Musso finished second for the Maserati team and Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Monaco Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 22 May 1955. It was race 2 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers and was given an honorary name, Grand Prix d'Europe. The 100-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Maurice Trintignant after he started from ninth position. Eugenio Castellotti finished second for the Lancia team and Maserati drivers Jean Behra and Cesare Perdisa came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 German Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1959 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße in West Berlin on 2 August 1959. It was race 6 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and race 5 of 8 in the 1959 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the 21st German Grand Prix and was only the second time the race was not held at the Nürburgring. AVUS had previously held the original German Grand Prix in 1926. The race was held over two 30 lap heats of the eight kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 498 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1962 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Rouen-Les-Essarts on 8 July 1962. It was race 4 of 9 in both the 1962 World Championship of Drivers and the 1962 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by Dan Gurney, his first Formula One victory, driving a Porsche, that company's only win as a constructor in a Formula One championship race coming after three years of racing. It was the third time that the French Grand Prix was held at Rouen, the previous time being 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenio Castellotti</span> Italian racing driver (1930–1957)

Eugenio Castellotti was a racing driver from Italy. He won the 1956 Mille Miglia and 1956 12 Hours of Sebring, and took several Formula One World Championship podiums. His career was cut short by a fatal testing accident at Modena in 1957. He was nicknamed "Il Bello".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludovico Scarfiotti</span> Italian racing driver (1933–1968)

Ludovico Scarfiotti was a Formula One and sports car driver from Italy. Just prior to entering Formula One, he won the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ferrari. He later participated in 12 World Championship Formula One grands prix, and many non-championship races. He won one World Championship race, and scored a total of 17 championship points. A motor sports competitor for a decade, Scarfiotti won the 1962 and 1965 European Hillclimb Championship. He was proclaimed Italy's best driver in both 1962 and 1965.

Bellasi is a Swiss-Italian motorsport company specialized in manufacturing composite parts for racing cars. From 1970 to 1971 it was a Formula One constructor. They participated in six grands prix, entering a total of six cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Volpi</span>

Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata is an Italian-Algerian nobleman and a former automobile racing manager and Formula One team owner. He inherited a fortune, at the age of 24, from his father, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, a politician financier and founder of the renowned Venice Film Festival. During World War II, Giovanni Volpi's father served in Benito Mussolini's cabinet as the minister of Finance and one of his chief advisors. He designed several of Mussolini's austerity measures and escaped prosecution after the war. His father also acquired and restored Villa Barbaro at Maser, Italy, built originally for the Barbaro family. Giovanni Volpi is the son of Giuseppe and his second wife, Nathalie El Kanoni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Williams (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (1942–2014)

Jonathan James Williams was a British racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari Tipo 500</span> 1952–1953 Formula 2 racing car

The Ferrari 500 was a Formula 2 racing car designed by Aurelio Lampredi and used by Ferrari in 1952 and 1953, when the World Championship was run to F2 regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 158</span>

The Ferrari 158 was a Formula One racing car made by Ferrari in 1964 as a successor to the V6-powered Ferrari 156 F1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alejandro de Tomaso</span> Argentine-Italian racing driver and businessman (1928–2003)

Alejandro de Tomaso was a racing driver and businessman from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as Alessandro de Tomaso. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 January 1957. He scored no championship points. He later founded the Italian sports car company De Tomaso Automobili in 1959.

The Ferrari 246 F1-66 was a racing car used by Scuderia Ferrari and Reg Parnell Racing during the 1966 Formula One season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC1</span>

The Penske PC1 was a Formula One racing car developed and raced by Penske Racing during the 1974 and 1975 Formula One seasons. The car was designed by Geoff Ferris, and was raced by drivers Mark Donohue and John Watson. The PC1 entered and competed in 12 Grands Prix, and was replaced by the Penske PC3 in the 1976 season.

References

  1. "Scuderia Serenissima results at chicanef1.com". Formula One Results. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  2. "Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia results at chicanef1.com". Formula One Results. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  3. https://www.carsceneinternational.com/scudia-serenissima/
  4. Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. pp. 334, 384 and 386. ISBN   0851127029.
  5. Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 236. ISBN   0851127029.