STORY OF THE DAY: A Mexican-Bred Ferrari Retires in Italy

Eugenio Castellotti and Ivo Regosa started the 1953 Mille Miglia in the number 637 Ferrari 340 México Vignale Berlinetta. The car did not finish the 1,512-kilometre race, while Giannino Marzotto and Marco Crosara won for Ferrari in a 340 MM. The retirement removed one of the marque’s most powerful closed cars from an event that counted toward the inaugural World Sportscar Championship.

The 340 México had been conceived for the extreme speeds and long stages of the Carrera Panamericana, making its appearance on the tighter Italian course an intriguing contrast. Its long-legged performance was useful on open sections, but the Mille Miglia also demanded agility, braking endurance and mechanical survival across mountain roads. Castellotti’s challenge ended before those strengths could produce a result.

Developed from the 340 America, the 340 México used a tubular chassis and a front-mounted Lampredi V12 of approximately 4.1 litres. Vignale created its distinctive closed berlinetta body, shaped for high-speed stability and reduced drag over the Mexican road race’s extended straights. The design favoured power and aerodynamic efficiency more than lightness or compactness.

Castellotti was a young Italian driver from Lodi who rose rapidly through sports cars and hill climbs before becoming a Ferrari Formula One winner and the 1956 Mille Miglia victor. Regosa was an Italian co-driver entrusted with navigation and mechanical support. Their pairing captured an early stage of Castellotti’s Ferrari career, before he became one of the factory’s central drivers.