Saturday 21st June 1947

The first postwar Mille Miglia (“Thousand Miles”) began in Brescia, Italy. The Mille Miglia was originally conceived by Aymo Maggi in 1927, who gained the approval of the Fascist government in Rome to run a road race from Brescia to Rome and back, over Italian roads. The course was plotted for 1,000 miles. This postwar version had 155 starters. Aided by a violent rainstorm that hampered runner-up Tazio Nuvolari’s small Cisitalia convertible, the driver Clemente Biondetti won the race in an Alfa Romeo. Even in its new incarnation, Italian drivers and cars dominated the race, which popularised such powerhouse brands as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati. Tragically, driver Alfonso de Portago blew a tire and spun off the road during the 1957 edition, killing himself, his co-driver and 10 spectators. Three days later, the Italian government banned the Mille Miglia and all other motor racing on Italian public roads.