Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Giovanni Volpi di Misurata (born 1938 in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

) is an Italian-Algerian nobleman and a former

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

racing manager and

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

team owner. He inherited a fortune, at the age of 24, from his father, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, a politician, financier and founder of the renowned

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Giovanni Volpi's father served in

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

's cabinet as the minister of Finance and one of his chief advisors. He designed several of Mussolini's austerity measures and escaped prosecution after the war. His father also acquired and restored

Villa Barbaro Villa Barbaro, also known as the Villa di Maser, is a large villa at Maser in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It was designed and built by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, with frescos by Paolo Veronese and sculptures by A ...

at Maser, Italy, built originally for the Barbaro family. Giovanni Volpi is the son of Giuseppe and his second wife, Nathalie El Kanoni. Giovanni Volpi founded a racing team,

Scuderia Serenissima Scuderia Serenissima or Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia was an auto racing team funded by Giovanni Volpi and active in the early 1960s. The name "Serenissima" ("Most Serene") refers to one of the many definitions the city of Venice is known f ...

, in 1961 and quickly became one of

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

's best customers. In 1962, Scuderia Serenissima commissioned to

Piero Drogo Piero Drogo (born in Vignale Monferrato, Alessandria, 8 August 1926 – died in Bologna, 28 April 1973) was a racing driver and coachbuilder from Italy. He participated in one Formula One Grand Prix, debuting at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix. He ...

and

Giotto Bizzarrini Giotto Bizzarrini (6 June 1926 – 13 May 2023) was an Italian automobile engineer who was active from the 1950s through the 1970s. After graduating from the University of Pisa in 1953, Bizzarrini eventually joined Alfa Romeo as a test driver. ...

the design of the Ferrari 250 GT Drogo, also known as Ferrari Breadvan. At the end of the year, when a group of senior figures, including Bizzarrini and

Carlo Chiti Carlo Chiti (19 December 1924 – 7 July 1994) was an Italian racing car and engine designer best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department. He also worked for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari and was involved in the design of t ...

, left Ferrari to join Volpi and founded ATS, Volpi's relationship with

Enzo Ferrari Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; ; 18 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of Scuderia Ferrari in Grand Prix motor racing, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. Under h ...

cooled. Ferrari consequently refused to sell Volpi two 250 GTOs he requested for his GT team. Following a disastrous 1963 Formula One campaign, where drivers

Phil Hill Philip Toll Hill Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across eight seas ...

and

Giancarlo Baghetti Giancarlo Baghetti (; 25 December 1934 – 27 November 1995) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Baghetti won the 1961 French Grand Prix in a privateer Ferrari 156, and remains the only driver to win a Formula ...

both failed to score championship points, ATS closed. Volpi subsequently continued with the Serenissima marque.

Bruce McLaren Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing driver, automotive designer, engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . McLaren was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Champ ...

used a Serenissima engine for a few Grands Prix in 1966. Volpi is married to Dominique Rizzo and lives in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

References

* Counts in Italy Italian nobility Ferrari people Living people Formula One team owners 1938 births Italian motorsport people Italian people of Algerian descent Businesspeople from Venice {{Italy-business-bio-stub