The Mantuan flew

“At the first bend, I had the clear sensation that we would end up in a ditch”, recalled Enzo Ferrari of a memorable passenger ride he shared with Tazio Nuvolari aboard this very Cisitalia-Abarth. “Instead, we found ourselves on the next straight, with the car in perfect position.” The memoir is telling of both Nuvolari’s legendary skill and the slinky sports car’s delicious balance. Developed by Cisitalia’s founder Piero Dusio, Carlo Abarth, and Ferdinand Porsche, this particular 204A Spyder Corsa, chassis 04/08, scored a victory at the 1950 Palermo-Monte Pellegrino, with Nuvolari at the wheel. It was to be the final victory of the ‘Flying Mantuan’ before his death in 1953. Motostalgia will offer the car at its Amelia Island sale on 11 March 2017, complete with full Abarth Classiche certification, the necessary FIA papers, and extensive documentation recording its storied competition career. It goes without saying that this would make a thoroughly worthy Mille Miglia retrospective entry — it already won the award for the most historically relevant entry at 2012’s event. Ultimately, it was commandeered by the one-and-only Tazio Nuvolari, a racer described by Ferdinand Porsche as “the greatest driver of the past, present, or future.”

Photos: Motostalgia