STORY OF THE DAY: The Marzotto Brothers Carry Ferrari to Fifth

Paolo and Giannino Marzotto finished fifth overall at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans in the number 15 Ferrari 340 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta. They completed 294 laps, four fewer than the fourth-placed Jaguar and ten behind the winning Jaguar C-Type. Their result made them the highest-classified Ferrari in a race that counted toward the World Sportscar Championship.

Jaguar’s disc-braked C-Types set a demanding pace, filling three of the first four positions. Against that opposition, the Marzotto brothers concentrated on sustaining the Ferrari’s speed and preserving its brakes and transmission. Their uneventful persistence became the strength of the performance: while faster works Ferraris retired, the number 15 remained on the circuit and secured valuable championship points.

The 340 MM combined a tubular steel chassis with a front-mounted 4.1-litre Lampredi V12. Pinin Farina’s closed aluminium berlinetta body reduced drag and sheltered the crew, valuable attributes on the Mulsanne Straight and during the night. The car retained drum brakes, a four-speed gearbox and a live rear axle, leaving its drivers with a demanding machine over twenty-four hours.

Paolo and Giannino Marzotto were Italian brothers from a textile-industrial family deeply involved in early Ferrari competition. Giannino had already won the Mille Miglia twice, including only weeks before this race, while Paolo built a broad record in Italian and international sports cars. Their fifth place mattered because family cooperation and measured endurance delivered Ferrari’s best result of the 1953 Le Mans.