Everyone In Italy Wanted To Win The 1953 Mille Miglia

The 1953-running of the Mille Miglia was absolutely packed to the gills with Italian drivers and automakers, racing for the 1,000 mile title from Brescia to Roma and back. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, OSCA, Lancia, Fiat, Moretti, and Bandini all had factory-backed racing efforts at this round, while foreign interlopers from Aston Martin, Jaguar, Gordini, Porsche, Deutsch-Bonnet, and even Chrysler tried their level best to get to the end. Over 400 cars competed in this event, and dozens failed to make it back to Brescia. This was among the most exciting racing prizes in Italy, and everyone wanted to take that trophy home.

How difficult was the Mille Miglia? Well, to put it in perspective, Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, never managed to win the race. He finished third in 1950, second in ’53 and ’55, and despite five attempts never reached the top step of the podium.

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