It’s pretty obvious that this beautifully restored Italian Transporter was used by some of the most famous race teams from the 1950s and 1960s. Juan Manuel Fangio’s team used this very vehicle in his championship winning seasons with the Maserati 250F. Later, this Italian Transporter was used by the American Formula 1 team Scarab.
We saw this beauty prominently displayed at the 2014 Monterey Historic Races during TFL Monterey Week.
This old Italian Transporter sat, neglected for some time. It was finally sold to someone who sponsored a full restoration, back to its original livery and original glory. Adolfo Orsi, grandson of Adolfo Orsi (SR) former owner of Maserati from 1937 to 1968, oversaw the restoration. Cool – no?
Powered by a 6.6-liter diesel engine, this Italian Transporter was originally built in 1952.
It’s a reminder of a different era, not just for racing but for trucking too. In a way, seeing this old Italian Transporter gets me closer to John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix than the racecars parked near it. Some of it has to do with the fact this truck was driven from its current home in Stamford, CT to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California.
Sure, it’s not as far as we drove ion our Tatra 603 – it’s still pretty cool.
Speaking of Italian Transporters…