New ‘Racing Rarities’ puzzle: A Formula 1 car that never raced

Mostly drawn from the archives of our photo partners XPB and Grand Prix Photo, every Tuesday we present a little piece of motorsport history. Tell us who you can recognise (Example: Jo Siffert, Monza, 1970) and join in the guessing game for the honour of it – there are no prizes to be won. Send your answer to: mathias.brunner@speedweek.com. The closing date for entries is midnight on Sunday of the current week.

Entry is free of charge. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over. Employees of the participating companies are excluded. The decision is final.

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For the new quiz: This is one of those racing cars that was never actually used in a race. We want to know which car it is and when it was built.

Our clue for the final task was: This is one of those Formula 1 World Championship races where a Grand Prix did not bear the name of a country. Pictured is the Englishman Stuart Lewis-Evans with his Vanwall racing car ahead of the 1957 Formula 1 World Championship race in Pescara.

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Vanwall-Fahrer Stuart Lewis-Evans in Pescara 1957 mit seinem Mechaniker

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

The street circuit in Pescara, on the east coast of central Italy, was used just once in the Formula 1 World Championship and set a record that will stand for ever: one lap was 25.579 km long!

With the Pescara Grand Prix, the 1957 Formula 1 World Championship saw two rounds held in the same country for the first time (Pescara and Monza). The race was only included in the calendar because the rounds in the Netherlands and Belgium had been cancelled. The organisers at Zandvoort and Spa had offered the teams a smaller starting grid, which the teams rejected.

Due to the enormous length of the Pescara circuit, no attempt was even made to sell tickets for the entire course; it would have been impossible to control access, and besides, thousands of fans were watching the action from their homes. According to estimates, the race attracted more than 200,000 spectators.

Ferrari was officially absent from Pescara. Following the tragedy of the 1957 Mille Miglia, which claimed 13 lives, Enzo Ferrari was embroiled in an investigation. A Ferrari was on the starting grid (driven by Luigi Musso), but Enzo Ferrari insisted that it was not a works entry (which was, of course, nonsense).

It is actually surprising that the Italian government gave the go-ahead for Pescara despite the Mille Miglia disaster. At least a chicane was installed on the long straight running alongside the sea to slow the cars down a little.

There was no free practice; the drivers explored the circuit in their own cars. Then, on Saturday, it was straight into qualifying, which consisted of two sessions (7.00–9.30 am and 4.30–6.30 pm). Juan Manuel Fangio set the fastest time in his Maserati, ahead of Stirling Moss in the Vanwall and Musso in the Ferrari. Stuart Lewis-Evans was in P8 in his Vanwall.

As very high temperatures were forecast, the Italians scheduled the start for 9.30 am. Drivers and cars suffered in the heat, and there were many retirements. In the end, Moss came out on top, with a total time of almost three hours, ahead of Fangio, Harry Schell, Masten Gregory and Lewis-Evans.

Stuart Lewis-Evans, the son of a garage owner, played a key role in Vanwall winning its first Constructors’ World Championship in 1958. He finished third in Belgium and Portugal, and fourth at his home race in England.

At the Moroccan Grand Prix in Casablanca, his car burst into flames and the driver suffered severe burns. The treatment he received from the Moroccan rescue workers was appalling and led to complications (partly due to non-sterile dressings). Lewis-Evans was flown back to England by Vanwall boss Tony Vandervell, but succumbed to his injuries on 25 October. The businessman Vandervell was so shocked that he withdrew from Formula 1 at the end of 1958.

Races were held on the street circuit until 1961, when the track was deemed too dangerous.