FERRARI: Marquis de Portago

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Acclaimed director Michael Mann’s latest movie ‘Ferrari‘ opened on Christmas Day, and Demaras Racing was at the cinema on opening night. Some of us knew the story of the 1957 Mille Miglia, with Daniel in particular commenting that Ruben Junior’s article about the Marquis de Portago (published in November 2022) was a detailed history of a great racer whos life was tragically cut short. Below is an excerpt.

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A Rebel Driver

Spain has given us quite a few idols in motorsport, and many years before the world started following the career of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, another Spaniard was already conquering hearts and minds in Formula One, his name was Alfonso de Portago, but the fans affectionately called him ‘Fon’. He was a member of the Spanish aristocracy with the noble title of ‘Marquis’ which stands between Duke and Earl. Just like any other member of the nobility, he had lots of time and money to enjoy the good things in life; but racing was his true love.

The Marquis de Portago’s career in motorsport was, unfortunately, very short (1953-1957), not allowing him to leave a more profound mark in racing.

The Mille Miglia was the most traditional and popular competition in the history of Italian motorsport. It took place on public roads and its format was close to the one used in rally, where the drivers race against the clock when driving from one checkpoint to the next.

For that year, the chosen route was a round trip starting in the city of Brescia going to Rome, and back, totaling 992 miles, mostly on back roads. The Mille Miglia proved to be a very dangerous race, the roads were narrow, the turns sharp and the pavement not in prime condition. The slower cars starting at night had to deal with the darkness but usually, the road was free of traffic. The faster cars racing through the day had to deal with traffic, not only from other competitors but also from the locals, who didn’t care much about the orders to keep the roads free. Some Italian drivers dispensed the help of navigators, alleging they were familiar with those roads.

Only Ferrari and Maserati had entered work teams for the 1957 Mille Miglia, The peculiar characteristics of the race had prevented more factory-backed cars on the field. Maserati had big hopes for the new and powerful 450S prototype and brought two to the race, one for the experienced Stirling Moss and one for Jean Behra. But things started to go sour for the team when Behra crashed his car during a pre-race test, leaving Moss to fight the Ferraris all by himself. Maserati’s hopes completely faded away when Moss snapped the brake pedal of his 450S right after the start and was forced to retire.

With the two Maserati prototypes out of the race, it seemed the competition would be smooth sailing for Ferrari. Portago arrived in Rome in 5th place and among the cheering crowd, he spotted the Mexican actress Linda Christian, with whom he had a love affair. He immediately pulled over to meet her, allowing his Latin lover persona to take over his duties as a race driver. After a little chat and a couple of kisses, the Spanish bon vivant left the city towards Bologna, where his car would receive the necessary repairs.

Once there, the mechanics found the front suspension was damaged and it would likely break before reaching Brescia. The team manager told Fon that his best option was to retire from the race to prevent an accident. The Marquis obviously ignored the advice, jumped in the car and left, determined to win the race. Driving hard on his way back, Portago passed Manfredini and Gendebien, proving to Enzo that he wouldn’t let a slower Ferrari cross the finish line in front of him. At one checkpoint, race marshals told Portago that he was in third, with Taruffi in 1st and Von Trips in 2nd. The Commendatore himself had instructed his drivers that, at this point, they should not fight for positions, in order to guarantee an easy 1-2-3 victory for the Scuderia.

If Portago had accepted the instructions, we will never know.

With only 30 km to the finish line, Fon was approaching the small town of Guidizzolo. He was going flat out on a straight, at 220km/h, when one of the front tires exploded. The Spaniard lost control of the car and hit a telephone pole, then it flew over a brook, plowing into spectators. The destroyed Ferrari bounced back, running over more spectators, and finally stopped upside down, in a ditch on the other side of the road. Fon and Nelson were catapulted from the car, after hitting the pole, the Spaniard died at the scene and his navigator perished a couple of hours later, at the hospital. Ten spectators also lost their lives, victims of the accident, among them five children.

The Italian government, shocked by the scope of the disaster, banned all motorsport activities on public roads, making the 1957 Mille Miglia the last one in history. Despite the tragedy, Ferrari finished the ill-fated race with a 1-2-3 victory, Piero Taruffi in first, Von Trips in second, and Olivier Gendebien in third.

Portago’s short career didn’t allow him to be more than a footnote in the history of motorsport, but a whole book could be written about his life, but the events that led to his tragic death deserved to be told.

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Make sure to read Rubens Junior’s entire article to learn about the strained relationship between Enzo Ferrari and the Marquis de Portago, Click the link below.

A Rebel Driver

Check out ‘The Classic Machines‘ for automotive content with an international perspective.

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