Gran Premio di San Remo

Autodromo di Ospedaletti, 22 Apr 1951

All cars are 1.5-litre s/c F1 or 4.5-litre F1^† unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Ferrari 375/50 ['2'] (Dorino Serafini): One of the pair of Ferrari 375s introduced at the 1950 Italian GP and marked 'GP/50/1'. Believed to be Ascari's car at Monza and then used by Ascari at the first two races of 1951. Then became the team's muletto and used by Gonzales to win the British GP and by Ascari to win at the Nürburgring. Last seen when raced by Chico Landi at the Italian GP. The car stamped '2' that was later owned by Rosier appears to be a late-51 375, not this 1950 car. Subsequent history unknown.
2. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1598] (Harry Schell): Maserati records show this car going to 'B. Bira' 23 Sep 1948. Bira raced 1948 British GP, 1949 Argentine Temporada and 1949 European season. Retained 1950 being used as Platé team car from Pescara. Raced by Harry Schell for Enrico Platé in 1951 then becoming one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Platé-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Giovanni de Riu in F2 in 1953. Then sold via de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work and then acquired by Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
3. HWM 51 ['1'] (Stirling Moss): The number '1' is used here just for convenience; chassis number of this car is not known. This was one of the first pair of 1951 HWMs to appear and was Moss's car throughout the season. Tony Gaze recalls that he had Moss's regular 1951 car for 1952. This car was raced in Europe in 1952 and then went to Lex Davison in Australia who fitted a Jaguar XK120 engine. It passed to Arthur Griffiths in 1956 and Arnold Glass in 1957. After a further six Australian owners and a conversion to a sports car body, the HWM-Jaguar was owned by Ralph Hough in 2002.
4. Talbot T26C [110 002] (Guy Mairesse): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 002' was raced by 'Raph' and Eugene Chaboud in 1948 and Paul Vallee and Guy Mairesse in 1950. Owned by Mairesse 1950-51; also raced by Giraud-Cabantous 1950; by Jean Blanc and Levegh 1952; and by Etancelin in 1953. In late 1953, Vallee sold the car to Doug Whiteford in Australia to replace his existing chassis '110 007'. Whiteford was surprised to discover that he'd bought an earlier model and it was 1955 before the car raced in Australia. It was sold to Ralph Snodgrass in 1956 but crashed badly at Mt Druitt in 1957. Snodgrass retained the car until 1980 when it was sold to Reg Hunt who restored it for historic events. Retained by Hunt until sold to Ron Towney in 2006.
5. HWM 51 ['2'] (Lance Macklin): The number '2' is used here just for convenience; the chassis number of this car is not known. This was one of the first pair of 1951 HWMs to appear and was Macklin's usual car that season. Subsequent history unknown but the chassis may have been used in another of the early HWM-Jaguar sports cars, such as "VPA 9", "XPA 748" or "2 BMF".
6. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] (David Murray): Shown in Maserati records as Alberto Ascari's early 1948 car. To Reg Parnell 1949 for Fred Ashmore then raced in 1950 by David Hampshire and others as part of Scuderia Ambrosiana. Then David Murray's car for 1951. Crashed in practice at the Nürburgring for the 1951 German GP and not seen again.
7. HWM 51 ['3'] (Louis Chiron): The number '3' is used to denote that this was the third 1951 car; its chassis number is not known. It is the 'third car' referred to in Denis Jenkinson's Racing Car Review and was usually raced by Heath and Abecassis. Subsequent history unknown but the chassis may have been used in another of the early HWM-Jaguar sports cars, such as "VPA 9", "XPA 748" or "2 BMF".
8. Talbot T26C [110 009] (Yves Giraud-Cabantous): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 009' was Raymond Sommer's 1949 car and then passed to Yves Giraud-Cabantous for 1950. Driven by Giraud-Cabantous and Pierre Meyrat 1951 and next seen with Louis Girardot 1953-56 and then possibly via Serge Pozzoli to Fritz Schlumpf 1957. In Musée de l'Automobile in Mulhouse 2001, possibly numbered 110002.
9. Ferrari 375/50 ['1'] (Luigi Villoresi): One of the pair of Ferrari 375s introduced at the 1950 Italian GP and marked 'GP/50/1'. Believed to be Serafina's car at Monza (handed over to Ascari) and then used by Villoresi in the first few races of 1951. Crashed by Villoresi at San Remo and again at Berne five weeks later. This car does not appear to have raced thereafter as the team had thre 1951-model 375s. Subsequent history unknown.
10. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1601] (Emmanuel de Graffenried): To Enrico Platé for 1949 (dated 7 Mar 1949 in Maserati records) and driven by Emmanuel de Graffenried. Continued as de Graffenried's well-used car through 1950 and 1951. Probably one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Plate-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Ottorino Volonterio in F2 in 1953. Sold with the sister car (probably 1598) by de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work then sold again via Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
11. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1596] (Reg Parnell): Maserati records list this as Reg Parnell's car dated 14 Sep 1948. Raced by Parnell from 1949 to 1951, under the Scuderia Ambrosiana banner in 1950 and 1951, also by Hampshire in 1951. Sold or leased to Bobby Baird mid-1951 and then sometime after 1952 sold to Count Johnny Lurani. Lurani sold it in 1955 to Pat Hoare in New Zealand where it raced until the mid-1960s and then spent many years in the Queenstown Motor Museum. It was sold in 1982 and returned to Europe in 1989. Sold at auction a number of times in the late 1980s and 1990s. Owned by Max Lustenberger (Switzerland) from 1999. Retained 2004.
12. Talbot T26C-DA [110 053] (Louis Rosier): Built in 1950 using parts from '110 003' and raced for the works by Martin, Chaboud and Giraud-Cabantous in 1950 then by Rosier as a private entry in 1951. Driven by Trintignant for Ecurie Rosier in 1952, then Giraud-Cabantous 1952-53. Owned by Marceau Hauret 1955 and Houdayer (Paris) 1981. Raced from 1987-2000 by François d'Huart (Belgium) as '100105'.
13. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1607] ("B Bira"): To Enrico Platé for 1949 (dated 14 Nov 1949 in Maserati records) and raced by Bira up to Geneva 1950. Car fitted with a 4450cc OSCA V12 engine for Bira for the 1951 season. The OSCA was taken to Australia in 1955 by Bira as a spare car to his 250F and sold there to Alf Harvey who raced it from 1955 to 1959. The car then went to the UK for historic racing and was bought by Tom Wheatcroft in 1971. Subsequently in the Donington Museum.
14. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1606] (Toni Branca): Shown in Maserati records as going to Louis Chiron in Monte Carlo 21 Sep 1949. Raced by Chiron through 1950 then to Toni Branca for 1951 and then de Walckiers (who entered Steve Watson and Pilette) for 1952. Reappeared Italy 1960s then via chain of Italian, Belgian, Swiss, German and French owners to 1998. Owned by Bernie Ecclestone from 1998.
15. Talbot T26C-DA [110 052] (Johnny Claes): Built in 1950 using parts from '110 012' and raced for the works by Giraud-Cabantous, Sommer and, in Argentina, Gonzalez. To Claes for 1951 and then Ecurie Belgique (Claes and Pilette) 1952. Some differences of opinion over its ownership in the 1950s but then via UK and German owners until 1987. Next seen with Peter Mullin (USA) in 2001. Raced by Mullin at 2007 Monterey Historics.
16. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1609] (Giuseppe Farina): Maserati records show this car going to Nino Farina on 14 Nov 1949. Driven by Farina in 1950 Argentine Temporada, at Albi 1950 and in 1951 non-championship F1 races. From Farina to the Schlumpf brothers and now in the Musée National de l'Automobile de Mulhouse. The car apparently wears the chassis plate 1602 (another Farina-owned 4CLT).

Formula 1 events 1948-1953

The results published here were compiled by David McKinney and Adam Ferrington from a range of sources including Autocourse, Motor Sport and Autosport, as well as the F1 Register's A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 5 covering 1950 and 1951. Individual car identities were then meticulously checked against their enormous libraries of books and photographs, notably Talbot-Lago de Course by Pierre Abeillon, Les Gordini by Robert Jarraud, Gordini – Un Sorcier, Une Equipe by Christian Huet and The History of English Racing Automobiles by David Weguelin.

David has also contributed extensively from his notes on car identities compiled over 40 years of research, Michael Müller has contributed immaculately researched histories of all the 1948-1950 Ferrari 125s, and Doug Nye, both through his books and his personal assistance on HWM, has also been of great help.

Please note that since David's sad death in 2014, Adam and Allen have agreed that these pages will remain unaltered from now on, as a lasting testimony to David's expertise.