Fangio 100 years

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Juan Manuel Fangio's birth. The legendary racer won 5 Formula One world championships, a feat only surpassed by Michael Schumacher. This is even more impressive when you take into account that due to the Second World War halting racing for many years he only started in his first F1 race at the age of 37.

An age at which Schumacher already had won his 7 championships and retired for the first time. Before his years in F1, Fangio also won the Argentine Touring Car championship two years in a row in the time that this still involved racing from city to city on open roads, sometimes without pavement, so he was truly versatile.

Since 1986, the most impressive monument to Fangio is the beautiful museum in his birthplace Balcarce, about three hours south of the capital. It's a very worthwhile day trip if you have the time but the city of Buenos Aires itself has a few sights connected to the champion as well.

First there is the headquarters of the ACA, the Argentine Automobile Club, at Libertador 1850. Directly as you enter the main hallway you will see the blue and yellow Ferrari 166 that the ACA helped sponsor to give Fangio his first opportunity to race in Europe. Somewhat hidden away on the third floor (but freely accessible, just head for the elevator) is the small ACA Museum, that has some more cars and memorabilia related to Fangio and other famous Argentine racers, such as Carlos Reutemann.

After this visit you might find it time for some refreshments and if you follow Avenida Libertador back towards the Microcentro and stop at the intersection with Recoleta cemetery, you will find the La Biela cafe on the opposite corner at Quitana 600. A legendary place and one of the "bares notables" of the city, this is where Fangio and his racing friends spend many hours. So many hours apparently that the owners of this 1850's bar, even changed the original name to La Biela in 1942. Not surprising if you understand that La Biela is the Spanish word for an engine rod, a vital part in all cars, but especially in race engines with their high rpm's.

Finally Buenos Aires offers you the possibility to cross one more of the Fangio statues of your been- there-done-that list. Spanish sculptor Sabate made a famous statue of  Juan Manuel Fangio standing next to his Mercedes F1 car and in the end it became so popular that six versions of it were made and ended up in different locations around the world. At the F1 racetracks of Catalunya, Monza, The Nurburgring and Monaco, in front of the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany and the latest one in front of the Mercedes-Benz Argentina HQ at Azucena Villaflor 435 in Puerto Madero.

Fangio statue in Puerto Madero

Even though he raced in an era when up to 20% of the F1 racers in a season died or seriously injured themselves, Fangio lived to be 84 years old and for many years ran the Mercedes-Benz importer in Argentina. He also kept driving till the end of his life and when a law was introduced that people over 80 (which Fangio was by then) could no longer hold a license, he threatened to race from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata in under two hours, a 400 kilometer distance! In the end an exception was made for the champion and he got to keep his driving license.