| This sleek sports racer emerged from the workshop of Carrozzeria Lazzarino sometime in 1952. Bautista Lazzarino, its proprietor, was an Italian immigrant who moved to Argentina with his family in 1927.
Born in 1908 in the Piedmont region's Castelnuovo Calcea, Bautista ('Tino' to his family) was educated in Turin before the Lazzarinos moved to South America. After arriving in Buenos Aires, the teenaged
Bautista, his father Juan and younger brother Miguel opened an auto mechanics workshop at 1020-24 San Blas in La Paternal. Carrocería Lazzarino became prominent after one of Bautista's creations came
into the national spotlight; he rebodied a Packard belonging to Mrs. Maria Delia Harilaoz de Olmos, which was used to transport Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) during the 1934 Eucharistic Congress.
This exposure brought fame to Carrocería Lazzarino, and he started working for prominent Argentine clients who encouraged his creativity. Bautista maintained a body shop in Buenos Aires through the 1940s,
also advertising "Carrocerías Metalicas de Lujo para Automóviles," or luxury metal bodywork. The 1st owner that Lazzarino 004's construction was commissioned by the then-Chairman of Ford Argentina.
He wanted the ultimate Ferrari 375 MM but could not import one from Italy. He had in mind something with style & performance. The Lazzarino used a custom tubular steel chassis, and of course, was
powered by a modified Ford 239 ci. Flathead V-8 engine. The car had been raced through the 1950s, competing in events like the Gran Jornada Automovilistica 'Presidente Peron,' or the President Peron
Auto Race Day in August 1954, which was sponsored by the Argentine Association of Race Car Drivers and supervised by the Argentina Automobile Sports Commission. This Lazzarino was found in excellent
original condition by its 2nd owner, Jorge Luis Penedo Sr. The seats, the gauges, the steering wheel…everything was made by hand. The hardest thing to imagine is this was hand rolled from all Steel
panels ! It was clearly designed & produced by a Maestro. It’s most previous owner, Jon Auerbach of Long Island, recently tackled the 2006 Pan-American Great Race from Philadelphia to San Francisco
very successfully.
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