Luigi Chinetti

Did You Know?

• Chinetti married on 18 April 1942 and had one son, Luigi 'Coco' Chinetti Junior.
• His son Luigi Jr. married Mamie Spears Reynolds, the first woman to qualify for the Daytona 500.

Biography

Chinetti was born in Jerago con Orago, north of Milan, the son of a gunsmith. He apprenticed in his father's workshop, earning a lathe operator's certificate at age 12 and qualifying as a mechanic at age 14. In 1917, at 16, he went to work for Alfa Romeo as a mechanic, where he met another young hire named Enzo Ferrari. The rise of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party prompted a move to Paris, where he worked for Alfa Romeo as a salesman.

Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Chinetti traveled to the United States as part of the Lucy O'Reilly Schell Écurie Bleue team for an appearance at the 1940 Indianapolis 500. He remained in New York, working at Pratt and Whitney and later supporting the Allied war effort at J. S. Inskip, where he worked on Rolls-Royce engines alongside Italian master mechanic Alfred Momo. Chinetti applied for American citizenship in 1947 and took the oath of allegiance on 6 March 1950, sponsored by Zora Arkus-Duntov.

Racing career

Luigi Chinetti took his first win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Alfa Romeo entered by his co-driver Raymond Sommer. A year later, he and Louis Chiron won the Spa 24 Hours. He then partnered with Philippe Étancelin to claim a second Le Mans victory. In 1949, Chinetti drove the first Ferrari to win Le Mans, becoming only the second driver to win the race three times.

The Ferrari 166M he drove was handed over to Baron Selsdon of Scotland for just twenty minutes, making Thomson the official co-driver, though Chinetti drove twenty-three of the twenty-four hours. Thomson bought that car through Chinetti after the race. Chinetti also won the Spa 24 Hours in 1933 with Phillipe Varent and again in 1949 with Jean Lucas. He won the Paris 12 Hours in 1948 in a Ferrari Tipo 166 SC and in 1950 in a Tipo 166 MM with Jean Lucas.

In 1951, he served as riding mechanic in the Ferrari 212 that won the Carrera Panamericana, a 2,100-mile, five-day race across Mexico. He competed in that event three more times, with a best finish of third place in 1952.