The Legacy of the Mille Miglia - Part 2: From its Inception in 1927 to Ferrari's Prelude in 1940
15 November 2025 1 min read 5 images
Photo credit: 1000 Miglia, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz
It was the most beautiful race in the world, as Enzo Ferrari said, until it was contested as a pure speed race covering 1,000 miles in a single day. It was March 1927 when, for the first time, the cars set off from Brescia to cover 1,600 kilometres (about 1,000 miles) of dusty roads. A seemingly insurmountable challenge, conceived by four visionaries from Brescia, Aymo Maggi, Franco Mazzotti, Giovanni Canestrini and Renzo Castagneto, the race immediately took on an epic character: a challenge between men and machines, an open-air laboratory for the automobile constantly in search of new technical solutions.
1927–1930: The first venture and the Alfa Romeo era
The inaugural race saw the OM 665 Superba driven by Minoja and Morandi triumph. It was an all-Brescia success, symbolising the ingenuity and courage of the pioneers. The roads were unpaved, the nights freezing, but passion overcame every obstacle. However, it was Alfa Romeo that dominated from 1928 to 1930. The Milanese brand specialised in competition and its agile and powerful cars, driven by drivers such as Campari and Nuvolari, were the absolute protagonists. In 1930, Nuvolari wrote one of the most legendary pages in the history of the race: when it was already dark, he saw that he was catching up with his teammate Guidotti's Alfa, which was in the lead. To overtake him without provoking a reaction, he turned off his headlights and approached him using his opponent's light, until he overtook him and then sped off towards Brescia, where he arrived first, winning the race.
1931-1933: Foreign challengers and new champions
In 1931, Rudolf Caracciola's German Mercedes-Benz broke Italian dominance, winning in prohibitive conditions of rain and fog. It was the first time that a foreign driver had won the Mille Miglia.
But Italian pride was quick to respond: in 1932 Borzacchini, in 1933 Nuvolari and in 1934 Varzi brought Alfa Romeo back to the top, making the Italian race a veritable monopoly.
1935–1938: Increasing speed and danger
With technical progress, racing became increasingly fast and risky. Pintacuda, Brivio and Biondetti pushed the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 to its limits, reaching average speeds of over 130 km/h on roads very different from those of today, with spectators often watching from the roadside without any safety precautions. In 1938, Biondetti won with a record average speed of 135 km/h, but tragedy was lurking: a serious accident in Bologna caused the death of ten people.
1939-1940: The year of silence and Enzo Ferrari's first car
Shocked by the disaster, Italy decided to suspend the Mille Miglia. It was 1939, and the legendary race in Brescia seemed destined to remain a memory. However, passion prevailed and in 1940 it was held as the “Gran Premio Brescia delle Mille Miglia”, on the roads connecting Brescia, Cremona and Mantua, a 165 km triangle repeated several times. The BMW 328 driven by von Hanstein and Bäumer won.
In that same race, two unknown cars appeared among the entrants: the 815 Auto Avio Costruzioni cars created by Enzo Ferrari after his separation from Alfa Romeo. One was driven by Alberto Ascari, who would bring the first World Titles to Maranello in the 1950s. The 815s, with their 1500cc engines, made a name for themselves but broke down just as they were about to win their class.
This was followed by the long, harrowing period of war, and the Mille Miglia was once again cancelled. With the return of peace, it was 1947 when the 1000 Miglia returned, the same year that the first true Ferraris were born, which would dominate the Brescia race until 1957, when it was finally banned as a speed race.
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