Events & Tours
Serenissima. Count Volpi of Misurata and the challenge to Ferrari.
In 1962, Count Giovanni Volpi embarked on a motorsport odyssey, founding Scuderia Serenissima. A triumphant start with a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was shadowed by a clash with Enzo Ferrari.
The nobility and pride of Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, heir to one of the wealthiest and most influential families of the Glorious Serenissima Republic of Venice, led him in 1962 to create a racing team that would honour his name in the history of international motorsport. The journey started in the right direction, with a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa from Scuderia Serenissima clinching victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1962, driven by Jo Bonnier and Lucien Bianchi.
This promising start with Ferrari coincided with an event so unique it still seems incredible today: after dominating the 1961 Formula 1 season, Ferrari dismissed his entire management team in November of the same year. After defending the Commercial Director, who had been seriously mistreated by the wife of the Commendatore, the entire team, including prominent engineers Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini – who had recently completed the development of the famous GTO – were all let go.
