STORY OF THE DAY: Collins Chases Castellotti Through the Rain

Peter Collins and Louis Klementaski finished second in the 1956 Mille Miglia with the number 551 Ferrari 860 Monza. Their time of 11 hours, 49 minutes and 28 seconds placed them twelve minutes behind Eugenio Castellotti’s winning 290 MM. Luigi Musso took third in another 860 Monza, helping Ferrari monopolise the leading positions in a World Sportscar Championship round.

Rain made the Italian roads treacherous, and Klementaski later recalled the intense physical demands of navigating at competition speed through standing water and poor visibility. Collins maintained pressure without exceeding the car’s capacity to survive. The pair’s disciplined pursuit gave the 860 Monza its best Mille Miglia finish and contributed to Ferrari’s comprehensive result.

The 860 Monza paired a tubular chassis with a front-mounted 3.4-litre Lampredi inline-four. Its abundant torque helped the car accelerate strongly from villages and mountain bends, while Scaglietti’s light open body limited mass. A rear transaxle improved balance, although the large four-cylinder engine and exposed cockpit made the car physically taxing over almost twelve hours.

Collins was a British driver who joined Ferrari in 1956 and quickly became a leading Formula One and sports-car competitor. Klementaski was a British photographer and accomplished navigator whose knowledge of European road racing made him an unusually valuable companion. Their partnership combined youthful speed with detailed route discipline, producing one of Collins’s finest endurance performances.