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If you’re going to tackle the world’s most beautiful motor race, the Mille Miglia, then you might as well do it in style. Our very own Max Girardo was afforded the opportunity to do just that, co-piloting the sensational Ferrari 375 MM Spider we rehomed last year and which contested the 1,000-mile marathon seven decades ago… 

The motorsport world mourned Tazio Nuvolari in 1953, which prompted the Mille Miglia organisers to tweak the race route in order to encompass the Italian great’s hometown of Mantua. Incidentally, this notched the overall mileage to exactly 1,000 miles, as per the race’s name. There was also a significant change to the rules allowing a single driver to contest the entire race, rather than the traditional team of two.

Context is useful at this point. Upwards of 11 hours solo driving, day and night, flat-out across an entire country, solely on public roads lined with hundreds of thousands of unobstructed spectators. Ludicrous.

This Ferrari first contested the Mille Miglia in 1954, racing under the Works Ferrari banner and in the hands of Piero Scotti

With crucial experience in the race and his new 4.5-litre Ferrari 375 MM Spider by Pinin Farina in rude health, Piero Scotti must have fancied his chances for the 1954 Mille Miglia. Part of the Works Ferrari assault, Scotti opted to capitalise on the rule change and ‘go it alone’. And, by all accounts, he made a searing start. In a field of 475 starters, Scotti had fought his way inside the top 10 by quarter-distance at Ravenna. And he continued to climb.

Rome marked the halfway point, some 540 miles into the race, and Scotti was sandwiched between two Works Maseratis in eighth position. As Marzotto’s Ferrari retired with gearbox trouble, Scotti was able to edge the number-546 375 MM up to third position by Florence. Alas, no sooner than a podium finish had been thrust into the realms of possibility, than it was cruelly snatched away. Scotti retired in the Apennines before Bologna – agonisingly close to the finish. What could have been…

Fast-forward seven decades and our very own Max Girardo took to the Mille Miglia starting ramp in Brescia driving the very same Ferrari 375 MM Spider, alongside the gentleman we sold the car to in 2024. For the event, Team Girardo joined the Ferrari Classiche contingent, which comprised a mouth-watering array of historic Prancing Horses. Among them, incidentally, was the Ferrari 340 America Touring Barchetta we also rehomed in 2024, raced by our good friends at Rosso Corsa in Milan (who also provided us with their invaluable technical support).   

The International Concours of Elegance in St. Moritz. The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como. And finally the Mille Miglia. We could hardly have chosen three better European events than the owner of this Ferrari has in 2025. While he flew solo for the first two missions, he very kindly invited Max to join him in the cockpit for the epic 1,000-mile out-and-back to Rome. For five days, we were under ‘big-banger’ Lampredi V12 power and in the expert care of our friends at Ferrari Classiche and Rosso Corsa.

Photos courtesy of Gabriele Natalini / World Street Graph