Ludovico Scarfiotti

Ludovico Scarfiotti was one of Italy’s most accomplished and tragically short-lived racing drivers whose successes spanned Formula One, endurance racing, and hillclimbing during one of motorsport’s most dangerous eras. Active at the top between 1963 and 1968, Scarfiotti earned the rare distinction of winning both the Italian Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ferrari, cementing his place in the marque’s golden history.

Nationality	Italian
Born	Ludovico Scarfiotti 18 October 1933 Turin, Kingdom of Italy
Died	8 June 1968 (aged 34) Berchtesgaden, West Germany

Scarfiotti claimed his Formula One victory at Monza in 1966, becoming the first Italian driver in 15 years to win his home Grand Prix — and, as of the end of the 2025 Formula One season, the last Italian to do so. In sports car racing, he was equally formidable, winning both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1963, and remaining a front-line endurance contender until his death.

Early life

Born in Turin, Scarfiotti was immersed in automotive culture from the outset. His grandfather, Lodovico Scarfiotti, was one of the nine founders of Fiat and served as the company’s first president, giving Ludovico an intimate connection to Italian motoring heritage from childhood. Surrounded by engineering excellence and competition, it was perhaps inevitable that he would find his way into racing.

Sports car competition

Scarfiotti built his reputation first in sports car racing, joining Ferrari’s factory programme in 1960. His international breakthrough came in October 1962, when he finished third in the 1,000 Kilometres of Paris alongside Colin Davis, behind the Rodríguez brothers’ winning Ferrari.

The following year marked his ascent to endurance racing’s highest echelon. Partnered with Lorenzo Bandini, Scarfiotti won the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving the Ferrari 250 P. The pair covered 2,832 miles (4,558 km) at an average speed of 117.99 mph, securing Ferrari’s fourth consecutive Le Mans victory and prize money approaching $20,000, in addition to immense prestige. That same season, Scarfiotti also won the 12 Hours of Sebring, completing a rare endurance double that immediately elevated his standing within Ferrari.

His sports car success continued through the mid-1960s. In 1965, Scarfiotti shared a Ferrari 330 P2 Spyder with John Surtees, leading every lap of the 1,000 km Nürburgring to claim Ferrari’s fourth straight win at the event. Their race lasted 6 hours, 53 minutes, and 5 seconds, at an average speed of 90.46 mph (145.58 km/h).

In 1966, Scarfiotti and Bandini finished second at the Nürburgring 1000 km in a 2-litre Dino 206 S, trailing the innovative Chaparral driven by Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier, which featured an automatic transmission — a novelty in European racing.

That year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans was marked by controversy. Ferrari replaced Surtees with Scarfiotti, prompting Surtees to sever ties with the team. Scarfiotti ultimately finished 31st, retiring after 123 laps.

In 1967, Scarfiotti partnered Mike Parkes extensively. Together they finished second at the 1000 km Spa, just one lap behind the winning Ford Mirage of Jacky Ickx and Richard Thompson, which averaged 120.5 mph. The duo repeated second-place finishes at both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Monza 1000 km, driving Ferrari P4 machinery as Ferrari swept the podium at Daytona. At the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, Scarfiotti and Parkes again finished second, this time behind the Ford Mk IV driven by A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney.

Later that year, Scarfiotti raced a Ferrari factory entry in the Canadian-American Challenge Cup event at Bridgehampton, sponsored by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team.

Following the death of Günter Klass in July 1967, Ferrari withdrew its Dino 206 S prototypes from hillclimbing. Regulatory changes for 1968, which limited prototypes to 3-litre engines, effectively ended Ferrari’s P-series programme. In protest, Ferrari did not contest the 1968 World Sportscar Championship, prompting Scarfiotti to join Porsche.

He entered the 1968 Targa Florio, but crashed his Porsche 907 during qualifying and was forced to race Porsche’s T-car, which failed to finish the demanding 720 km road race.

Formula One

Scarfiotti made his Formula One debut with Ferrari at the 1963 Dutch Grand Prix, after being signed by Enzo Ferrari alongside John Surtees, Willy Mairesse, Lorenzo Bandini, and Nino Vaccarella. He finished sixth at Zandvoort, one lap behind winner Jim Clark, while Surtees finished third.

Over the next several seasons, Scarfiotti made sporadic Formula One appearances for Ferrari, including a fifth-place finish at the non-championship 1965 Syracuse Grand Prix.

His defining Formula One moment came at Monza in 1966, where Scarfiotti won the Italian Grand Prix at a record average speed of 136.7 mph (220.0 km/h). The victory carried historic weight — making him the first Italian winner in 15 years, and one whose significance has only grown with time.

After Bandini’s fatal accident at Monaco in 1967, Ferrari entered two cars for Scarfiotti and Parkes at the non-championship Syracuse Grand Prix. In an extraordinary result, the pair crossed the line in a dead heat, sharing victory after completing the 191.2-mile race in 1 hour 40 minutes 58 seconds.

Ferrari briefly ran a three-car effort in 1967, but after Parkes’ career-ending crash at Spa, the team reverted to a single entry for Chris Amon. For his home race at Monza, Scarfiotti instead drove an Eagle Mk1 for All American Racers, though both Weslake V12 engines failed early.

With Ferrari signing Jacky Ickx for 1968, Scarfiotti joined Cooper. At the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix, Cooper drivers Brian Redman and Scarfiotti finished third and fourth, respectively. Scarfiotti’s final Formula One start came at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished fourth in a race of attrition that saw 11 of 16 starters retire.

Hillclimbing and death

Alongside circuit racing, Scarfiotti was a highly successful hillclimb competitor, winning the sportscar class of the European Hillclimb Championship in both 1962 and 1965.

On 8 June 1968, tragedy struck during a hillclimbing event on the Roßfeldhöhenringstraße, near Berchtesgaden in the German Alps. During practice, Scarfiotti’s Porsche 910 suddenly left the road and plunged down a wooded slope. The car became entangled in trees, and Scarfiotti was thrown clear. He was found badly injured fifty yards away and died in an ambulance from multiple fractures.

Braking marks stretching 60 yards (55 metres) indicated that he had attempted to stop at the final moment. Huschke von Hanstein, Porsche’s team manager, later stated that it was the first fatal accident he had experienced in 18 years in charge of the team.

Scarfiotti was the third Formula One driver to lose his life in 1968, following Jim Clark and Mike Spence.

Personal life

Ludovico Scarfiotti was married to Ida Benignetti and had two children from a previous relationship. Though his life and career were cut tragically short, his achievements — spanning Ferrari victories at Le Mans, Sebring, Monza, and the Nürburgring — ensure his lasting place among Italy’s most distinguished racing drivers.