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Book Review: 'Ferrari 375 Racing in Argentina'



1955 #0398AM: First win for local drivers at the 1000km de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

The latest in the series of books on the Argentine racing scene of the 50s and 60s is dedicated to just four examples of one model: the Ferrari 375.

This soft-cover, 144-page volume is a result of the research that went into Ferrari Argentina | Sports Cars, and includes many of the photographs of these highly potent cars that did not make it into the first book.

Four individual chassis are explored in incredible depth: #0358AM Pinin Farina Berlinetta; #0370AM Pinin Farina Spyder; #0374AM Pinin Farina Spyder, and #0398AM Plus Pinin Farina Spyder.

Very often, European racing cars such as Ferraris and Maseratis arrived in Argentina after the main European racing season had finished, or following straight on from competing in the Mexican Carrera Panamericana.

They were, after all, just old, obsolete racing cars.

Alternatively, as in chassis #0370AM, it was a works entry (for Farina/Maglioli) that won the 1954 1000km de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, the first round of that year’s sportscar World Championship. It immediately left Argentina to continue its racing career elsewhere. The star Italian pairing’s main opposition came from local man José María Ibáñez, driving #0374AM, his newly delivered 375MM.

The latter was overturned [see above] by Ibáñez’s less talented co-driver, but then went on to a famous career in several owners’ hands throughout the 1950s.



1954: Carlos R. Najurieta in #0374AM next to César Rivero in a 7-litre Mercedes-Benz


1954: José María Ibáñez driving #0374AM

The last chassis is the 5-litre 375 Plus, #0398AM. This was purchased by the 1954 Campeón Argentino Sport, Enrique Díaz Sáenz Valiente who had won the title driving #0374AM and imported – via José Froilán González – the very special, big-engined car for 1955. It was another chassis that was to see hard racing action in South America right up to 1967.

Written in English-only this time, the book is well up to the standard of previous Whitefly editions and a useful bookshelf addition for the Ferrari collector and motor-racing enthusiast alike. There is an appendix listing all the Argentinean events entered by these cars.

'Ferrari 375 Racing in Argentina' costs $100.00 including shipping. It is a limited-edition (of 400 copies) book written by Cristián Bertschi and Estanislao Iacona. 144 pages, 120 pictures (58 unpublished). For orders, payment by Paypal, and all other enquiries, please email [email protected].

For further information on the Whitefly series of Argentinean motor-racing books, visit www.whitefly.cc.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Whitefly


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