Circuit du Roussillon

Perpignan, 8 May 1949

All cars are 1.5-litre s/c F1 or 4.5-litre F1^† unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1599] (Juan Manuel Fangio): Built in 1949 for Automovil Club Argentina and under the ACA's "Scuderia Achille Varzi" banner raced by Fangio and others. Raced occasionally in Europe 1950 by Fangio then to South America 1950-52 for various ACA drivers. A car with this number discovered in Argentina in 2002. Owned by Daniel Sielecki (Argentina) 2002.
2. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1598] ("B Bira"): Maserati records show this car going to 'B. Bira' 23 Sep 1948. Bira raced 1948 British GP, 1949 Argentine Temporada and 1949 European season. Retained 1950 being used as Platé team car from Pescara. Raced by Harry Schell for Enrico Platé in 1951 then becoming one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Platé-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Giovanni de Riu in F2 in 1953. Then sold via de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work and then acquired by Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
3. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1600] (Benedicto Campos): Built in 1949 for Automovil Club Argentina and raced by under the ACA's "Scuderia Achille Varzi" banner Malusardi and Benedicto Campos. Raced in 1950 by Jose Froilan Gonzalez and then 1950-52 by other ACA drivers in South America. Reportedly to Venezuela then via US, Japanese and further US owners to 1996. Owned by Jean-Louis Duret from 1996. Retained 2000.
4. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1601] (Emmanuel de Graffenried): To Enrico Platé for 1949 (dated 7 Mar 1949 in Maserati records) and driven by Emmanuel de Graffenried. Continued as de Graffenried's well-used car through 1950 and 1951. Probably one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Plate-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Ottorino Volonterio in F2 in 1953. Sold with the sister car (probably 1598) by de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work then sold again via Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
5. Maserati 4CL [1585] (Nello Pagani): Delivered on 30 Apr 1947 to Enrico Plate's team and driven by a variety of drivers from 1947 to 1949, including Emmanuel de Graffenried. Sold to Joe Fry for 1950, but passed after Fry's death in July 1950 to Duncan Hamilton and Philip Fotheringham-Parker who campaigned it in British races until then of the F1 formula in 1951. Campaigned widely in UK historic racing events by several British owners until passing to the current owner, Oliver Maierhofer (Germany) On display at Tubingen Motor Museum in 2007.
6. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1594] (Luigi Villoresi): Maserati records say this was Luigi Villoresi's 1948 car and then identified as Villoresi's Scuderia Ambrosiana entry early in 1949 and then a Scuderia Milan entry at the 1949 Italian GP. Subsequent history unknown, making it the earliest 4CLT to disappear.
7. Talbot T26C [110 005] (Pierre Bouillin ("Levegh")): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 005' was raced by 'Levegh' from 1948 to 1951 and by Grignard once in 1951. Retained by the works until it was sold to Otto Zipper in the US in 1957. Then to the Briggs Cunningham museum via two other US owners to Tony Wang 1988.
8. Delage D6-3LS [880004] (Henri Louveau, Francisco Godia Sales): Raced by Louveau for Ecurie Gersac at Perpignan, Jersey, Marseilles and Nimes in 1947, and then on his own account in the same year's Belgian, Swiss, Comminges (with Maurice Varet) and Italian GPs. Also driven for Louveau that year by Trintignant in the Marne GP, Varet at Strasbourg and Alexandre Constantin in the Coupe du Salon. Then for Louveau in 1948 Pau, Nations and Chimay GPs, and sportscar races 1948-50. Car was with Jacques Nollé 1953, rebodied as coupé 1955, various other owners UK and France, and with Peter Mullin (USA) this century. Raced at 2007 Monterey by Matt Cobb.
9. Simca-Gordini T11 [0004-GC] (Robert Manzon): Works car 1947 to early 1952. Possibly raced by Fangio in Argentina in 1948. Driven by Aldo Gordini and André Simon 1950. Rebuilt 1952 as sportscar 0018 and raced by works with 1500 engine. Possibly then by Bordoni (Italy) with 6-cylinder engine. In Collection Hamoniaux 1983 and Musée Nationale 1994.
10. Simca-Gordini T15 [0006-GC] (Raymond Sommer): Works car 1947 until early 1952, when rebuilt as sportscar 0039. According to Nye raced by Gilberte Thiron with 1100 engine 1952. Raced with 1500 engine 1953. To Schlumpf Collection and still in Musée Nationale 1994.
11. Simca-Gordini T11 [0004-GC] (Aldo Gordini): Works car 1947 to early 1952. Possibly raced by Fangio in Argentina in 1948. Driven by Aldo Gordini and André Simon 1950. Rebuilt 1952 as sportscar 0018 and raced by works with 1500 engine. Possibly then by Bordoni (Italy) with 6-cylinder engine. In Collection Hamoniaux 1983 and Musée Nationale 1994.

Formula 1 events 1948-1953

The results published here were compiled by David McKinney and Adam Ferrington from a range of sources including Autocourse, Motor Sport and Autosport, as well as the F1 Register's A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 5 covering 1950 and 1951. Individual car identities were then meticulously checked against their enormous libraries of books and photographs, notably Talbot-Lago de Course by Pierre Abeillon, Les Gordini by Robert Jarraud, Gordini – Un Sorcier, Une Equipe by Christian Huet and The History of English Racing Automobiles by David Weguelin.

David has also contributed extensively from his notes on car identities compiled over 40 years of research, Michael Müller has contributed immaculately researched histories of all the 1948-1950 Ferrari 125s, and Doug Nye, both through his books and his personal assistance on HWM, has also been of great help.

Please note that since David's sad death in 2014, Adam and Allen have agreed that these pages will remain unaltered from now on, as a lasting testimony to David's expertise.