Great man and driver, sadly ill and financially bereft in his final years. Despite this, he tried to play an active part in historic meetings, right up to the mid '1990's. Villoresi started racing alongside his brother Emilio (who was later killed in a test in Monza in 1939) in 1931 and soon proved his ability. He became Italian National Champion in 1938 and won the Targa Florio in 1939 and 1940. However during World War Two, he was captured and became a long-time prisoner of war. His fitness was never quite the same and his hair went grey, like so many others in the same situation, due to the horrors that occurred to him as a result. Nevertheless, when he returned to racing in 1946 he was still a very successful driver until he left the sport after winning the 1958 Acropolis Rally, with two notable results being the 1948 British Grand Prix - the first at Silverstone - and the 1951 Mille Miglia.

Biography last updated 8 Mar 2016