Who was Luigi Chinetti?
Luigi Chinetti was an Italian-American racing driver and businessman who became well-known for his success in motorsports and his contributions to Ferrari's development in the United States. Chinetti was born in Jerago con Orago, Italy in 1901. He began racing in Europe in the 1920s, and in 1933 he entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. He went on to win that race three times, in 1932, 1934, and 1949, and he became the first driver to win the race five times as a team manager.
Luigi Chinetti Le Mans 1949 Winner Ferrari 166MM
Chinetti moved to the United States in the 1940s and began importing Ferraris to the country; Enzo Ferrari appointed Chinetti as his Ferrari factory agent in the United States. Chinetti opened the first—and for a while the only—Ferrari dealership in the country. The first Ferrari sold by Chinetti to the U.S. was a Tipo 166 MM Touring Barchetta, chassis 0002 M, sold in Los Angeles in early 1949.
Chinetti was also responsible for scouting some of the best up-and-coming drivers, including Mario Andretti, Phil Hill, and Dan Gurney. Chinetti played a critical role in getting many of the greatest American drivers into race-winning cars on the highest levels of global motorsport.
He also established the North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.), which competed in various motorsports events and enjoyed significant success. Starting in the 1950s, N.A.R.T. existed for over three decades, during which it experienced successes on the tracks of America and Europe. Chinetti did deals with Ferrari to purchase the latest specification sports cars at the end of a season to attract the best drivers to drive for N.A.R.T. It was also an opportunity to lease the cars race-by-race, an arrangement that appealed to some of Chinetti's clientele.
N.A.R.T. raced Ferraris until 1982, when it participated in over 200 races with over 100 drivers. Chinetti remained involved in racing and Ferrari until his death in August 1984. Nevertheless, he is remembered as an influential figure in the history of motorsports and Ferrari's development in North America.
N.A.R.T. Ferrari 512
