Mille Miglia 1927 - 1957 The Fabulous Story Of The Great Road Race (Giovanni Lurani. 1982)

Author: Giovanni Lurani, Hardbound, 209 Pages, ASIN: B00169598C, 1st English Language Edition, 1981

- The fabulous story of the great road race - Second-Hand book in very good condition

The story of the most famous, the most exciting and the most complete motor race of all time is recounted here by one of its most assiduous protagonists, Count Johnny Lurani.

This is a direct chronicle, a living testimony of the Mille Miglia, an event which punctually every spring for 30 years, from 1927 to 1957 (except for the interruption of the war) focussed the attention of motor sport enthusiasts from all over the world. In Italy the competition became a great national spectacle, drawing interest from far beyond sporting circles to become an event of social and economic importance. Above all, the drama of the race, the emotions it aroused and the bond of enthusiasm it forged between competitors and spectators, made it an extremely efficient way of promoting the development of the motor industry.

Johnny Lurani is possibly the only writer who can resurrect the vicissitudes and atmosphere of that legendary race. In the 20 years between 1932 and 1952, he took part in nine of the Mille Miglias, winning his class three times and finishing among the top 10 twice. His direct experience of the race and his personal acquaintance of the men that took part qualifies him to write about the Mille Miglia with the exactitude of an historian and the spirit of a chronicler.

As an international class driver, Lurani has done well in a number of major races, including the Brooklands 'Double Twelve', the 24-hour races of Pescara and Le Mans, the Tour of Sicily, the Targa Florio, the Latina circuit, the Tripoli Grand Prix and the South African Grand Prix. He has won three Italian championship titles and set several international records, many of them at the wheel of the car he designed himself—the Nibbio'.

As a prominent figure in Italian and international sporting circles, Lurani held and still holds senior positions in the automobile and motorcycle industry, while pursuing a journalistic career. He writes for German, French, Swiss, British and American publications.
In 1971, the Guild of Motoring Writers awarded him the Bancarella Sport prize and the Pemberton Trophy for his book 'The History of Motor Racing'.

With his history of the Mille Miglia, a nostalgic diary of a personal adventure, Lurani creates an accurate documentary of the sporting, technical and romantic aspects of an event which defined a unique era of international motor sport.