The name Pininfarina is synonymous with some of the most beautiful automotive designs, such as the Ferrari Daytona 365GTB/4, but Formula 1 aficionados know the name “Farina” as the winner of the first-ever FIA-sanctioned F1 Wolrd Championship . For this historical achievement, Giuseppe “Nino” Farina was paid a handsome prize of £500.00! And the honour of being crowned .
“Nino” Farina was born on 30 October 1906, in Turin. His uncle, Battista, was the founder of the legendary Pininfarina design firm. “Nino” graduated with a law degree and doctorate in Political Economy but was more interested in action on the track than in the courtroom.
Today’s arms-outstretched style of driving can be traced back to him. A young Stirling Moss had also copied the Italian. Farina’s early races were marred by crashes.
His speed, determination and bravery caught the attention of the Alfa Romeo Racing team manager, Enzo Ferrari, who hired him as a teammate to the legendary “Flying Mantuan” Tazio Nuvolari. Farina was runner-up three times at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo in the classic Mille Miglia, which ran on public roads from Brescia-Rome-Brescia, in 1936, ‘37 and ’40, the same year he also took victory in the Tripoli Grand Prix. After the war, Farina won the 1946 Grand Prix des Nations in Geneva for Alfa Romeo and took victory in the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix driving a Maserati.
The inaugural F1 championship season included six Grand Prix races and the Indianapolis 500..