Mainly in sportscars, with a few single-seater events in Italy, including the 1960 Italian Grand Prix, one of many taking advantage of a dispute between the British entrants and the organisers to make their Grand Prix debut. Alfonso also held US citizenship, moving to the US with his family, who ran a business, when Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy. In the 1950's, Alfonso lived in both countries, competing in SCCA events in the US and Italian road races, and was a long-time test driver for Abarth. In 1957, he won his class at the Mille Miglia. Thiele carried on racing, mainly in Italy until 1964. He moved back to the New York area for a while before finally settling in Novara, where he died in 1986. During World War Two, Thiele was a captain of the Office of Strategic Services of Italian anti-fascist partisan, where he met his wife Walkiria Terradura, another partisan who was decorated for bravery and who died, aged 99, in 2023.

Biography last updated 9 Jan 2026