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Pre War Alfa, Ferrari, Nuvolari Telegrams and other Documents

12K views 37 replies 8 participants last post by  gtv2000 
#1 ·
For most of my life I've been a Ferrari nut and collected all sorts of Ferrari related paperwork, brochures, books, and a few cars as well. Now most of it is gone except for this group of telegrams, a check from Nuvolari to Alfa Romeo, and correspondence between Nuvolari and Ferrari.


1931 Check signed by Nuvolari. I have very little info on it. If anybody can help I'd be quite grateful.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
Ferrari credit for anticipated winnings

April 25, 1933: This credit is towards his anticipated prize money in the 1933 Grand Prix of Tripoli. There was some speculation that Nuvolari and Varzi conspired with holders of the lottery tickets (prizes were paid according to finish position) to maximize the payout, but this was never proven and it seems more a case of sour grapes by Neubauer who ran the Mercedes team. Note Ferrari's signature in purple at the bottom. Ferrari almost exclusively used purple ink for his signature.
 

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#5 ·
1934 German GP

July 10, 1934: Nuvolari telegram informing the Hotel Eifelerhof of his arrival tomorrow. Nuvolari would enter the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in a Maserati 8CM finishing 4th behind Stuck in an Auto Union, Fagioli in the W25 Benz, and Chiron in the Scuderia Ferrari Alfa P3.
 

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#8 ·
Phil Hill on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Not prewar but there is an Alfa link. Phil Hill owned and raced a 8C 2900B MM.

In 1988 I had the good fortune to attend the Italian Grand Prix with Phil Hill and his lovely wife Alma. Here is one of the items I brought along to have him sign.
 

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#9 ·
Great documents. Thank you for sharing them with us. With respect to the check, AlfaBB limits pictures to 700 pixels wide, which limits readability in this case. In order to decipher the handwriting a bit better, would it be possible for you to post the picture of the front of the check rotated by 90 degrees (so that the height of the check becomes the width of the image)?
 
#11 ·
Fascinating. It appears the check was written to Achille Moretti (who endorsed it on the back) before it was deposited into the account of Alfa Romeo. The issue date seems to be June 29 (which was after he won the Targa Florio in May). A note on the back that seems to read "accredito su effetti" and appears to be dated 05 August, 1932 (long enough to result in 455 Lira interest?). This narrow time frame may provide a good handle for finding information in a historical archive, if such information survived.

Unfortunately, I cannot decipher all of the writing in the front. The sections I'm able to read seem to say "Pagabile al mio ?????? ??? Soc. An. Alfa Romeo - Via M. U. Traiano 33 - Milano" (the address being the official address of Alfa Romeo at the time, as can be seen in the period ad here).

I hope someone more knowledgeable of Alfa Romeo history can chime in and shed some light on who Achille Moretti was, and what the connection between him, Nuvolari and Alfa Romeo might have been.
 

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#12 ·
I sent a copy of the check to CENTRO DOCUMENTAZIONE ALFA ROMEO (FGA) and received the following reply:

Dear Mister Malinchoc,
as far as I can understand, mister Moretti was not related to Alfa Romeo, but only the man whom Nuvolari (and Alfa Romeo) owed this money.

Anyway, if I will discover more, surely I will let you know.



Regards,
Marco Fazio

Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo
Centro Direzionale
Viale Alfa Romeo
20020 Arese (MI) Italy
 
#13 ·
Very interesting documents. Brings history back to life. Thanks for sharing this with us!
 
#14 ·
According to a comment near the top of p. 11 of this document describing the Garelli motorcycle company, it appears Achille Moretti was either a dealer or a sales agent: "Achille Moretti che era il concessionario Garelli per Mantova." So, if he sold motorcycles, he may have sold cars, too.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Nuvolari & Achille Moretti

Achille Moretti owned and raced a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C (0312875) through the time period in which this (lire 26.000) check was written. He also sold a Bugatti 35C to Nuvolari approximately one month earlier than the date of the check. The check was in an amount equivalent to roughly one-third the price of a new Alfa Romeo 6C at the time. It could be the price (or a portion of it?) for a well-used Bugatti at the time? So, the Bugatti could be related or unrelated to the check that was written by Nuvolari "in care of my address (at) Alfa Romeo" (presso il mio domicilio ...) ... not exactly a typical thing to find on such a check ... except perhaps among the priveledged elite. That said, it was a different time and it was not long ago that many of us could write a similar check ... that might take a bit longer than normal to clear ... providing all parties agreed to honor the conditions.

Additional references can be found for Achille Moretti as well. If we do enough checking, it is quite likely that we can determine more about the likely implications of what the check was written for.
 
#30 ·
Achille Moretti owned and raced a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C (0312875) through the time period in which this (lire 26.000) check was written. He also sold a Bugatti 35C to Nuvolari approximately one month earlier than the date of the check. The check was in an amount equivalent to roughly one-third the price of a new Alfa Romeo 6C at the time. It could be the price (or a portion of it?) for a well-used Bugatti at the time? So, the Bugatti could be related or unrelated to the check that was written by Nuvolari "in care of my address (at) Alfa Romeo" (presso il mio domicilio ...) ... not exactly a typical thing to find on such a check ... except perhaps among the priveledged elite. That said, it was a different time and it was not long ago that many of us could write a similar check ... that might take a bit longer than normal to clear ... providing all parties agreed to honor the conditions.

Additional references can be found for Achille Moretti as well. If we do enough checking, it is quite likely that we can determine more about the likely implications of what the check was written for.
I'm late to this party - sorry, but here's my 5 cents worth. Achille Moretti were at Corso Vittorio Emanuele 26, Mantova.
I can't be sure what this cheque was for, but I have seen Ing. Nicola Romeo invoices to Moretti for the supply of Alfa Romeo parts. So, my guess would be that it was payment for parts which Moretti counter-signed and forwarded to Alfa Romeo. Afterall, a Nuvolari cheque was hardly likely to 'bounce'.
Nathan
 
#17 ·
More thoughts on the check of 27 June 1932

I have seen many references to this sort of "cambiale" check ("cambiali" = checks) in PRA records for instances when money was loaned either before or after a sale. It is very interesting to see an example of the actual check, whether or not this is one of those money-loan instances. It seems that it is probably a specific kind of (oftentimes post-dated) check issued at the time when a loan was made. It might have been a single check or it might have been one of a grouping of similar checks. It is possible that there will be an official record somewhere of a loan (or guarantee?) having been made by Achille Moretti to Nuvolari for an Alfa Romeo of some sort. There are some other possible explanations as well. It is also interesting to see the various tax markings and stamps. There is what appears to be a 1 lire tax (that we might call a "document fee"?) for the document itself and then an additional tax stamp that probably varied depending on the use and perhaps on the amounts involved?

"pagabile al mio domicilio preso ..." may translate legally to "payable to my account with ..."?

It appears that the check was not paid until late September, three months after the check was written. I don't know if this means it was treated as a post-dated check or if there was some other reason for the delay.

When reviewing PRA records, there can be minor confusions because it is often unclear whether dates written are actual transaction dates or if they reflect the dates that notations were made into the record. And, there are times when it seems that the clerk making the notation must have been at least a bit confused as well.
 
#19 ·
Very interesting insights, John -- especially the information about Nuvolari buying a Bugatti 35C from Moretti at about that time. To me, this makes more sense than Nuvolari buying an Alfa from Moretti, as Nuvolari probably could have bought a car from Alfa directly. Then again, the transaction may not relate to cars at all.

Thanks for deciphering the "pagabile al mio domicilio preso..." -- I would have never guessed the last two words.

With respect to the dates, I think your notion that "the check was not paid until late September, three months after the check was written" implies the date written in pencil twice as "27/9" and "27 Settembre" (but without a year) refers to 1932, but the date of 17-Sep-1931 on the 1-Lira stamp leaves room for the possibility that it actually refers to 1931 -- meaning the check could have been written as a post-dated check 9 months before the check was payable. Given that the date of 27-Sep is written in pencil rather than ink, I'm guessing it was written for internal purposes only (same as the notes on the back). And it may be pure coincidence that the dates of 27-Jun and 27-Sep fall on the same day of a month 3 or 9 months apart from the check date.

What intrigues me about this check is the historical context of Alfa Romeo being in the middle of a financial crisis at that time (middle of the great depression) and the fact that this transaction happened shortly before Alfa Romeo had to be bailed out by the Italian government at the end of 1932. It may have been Alfa Romeo's financial situation and Nuvolari's prospects of possibly not getting paid or having no car to race that may have led Nuvolari to buy the Bugatti in the first place. But I admit, this is pure speculation.
 
#20 · (Edited)
PRA = P.R.A. = Pubblico Registro Automobilistico

Sort of the equivalent of the various Departments of Motor Vehicles.

Each P.R.A. office works in conjunction with the Ufficio di Motorizzazione and other governmental agencies to issue license plates, track vehicle ownership and collect use taxes. The A.C.I. (Automobile Club d'Italia) is involved as an agent, rather akin to many AAA offices in the USA. In the 1930's, A.C.I. was known as "R.A.C.I" or "Reale Automobile Club Italiano".

It is possible to research most Italian plates by going to the P.R.A. office where the plate was issued (Mantova for a "MN" plate number), pay a fee that varies with the sort of research that is desired. It is also possible to research plates from other P.R.A. offices through most any P.R.A. office by paying an additional fee and waiting for the paperwork request to be mailed, the request processed and then the material mailed back. It takes time.

Here is a "page 3" from a PRA document for a 4th series Alfa Romeo 6C1750. It shows two different loans made for two owners of the car at different times. Lire 60.000 the first time and lire 16.500 the second. Lots of Italian legalese. Hard to read and interpret precisely but the general implications are not difficult to fathom. Money was loaned using the car as primary collateral. The loan needed to be repaid before the car could be sold and ownership transferred. Hence the notations in the PRA record.
 

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#21 ·
You guys are GOOD! I am enjoying this thread. Gee! I might learn something new! Keep going.
Thanks!
 
#23 ·
Bugatti 35C

I am not willing to say that the Bugatti was necessarily connected to the check images shared. I have not done the research on this car myself and can only say that it is a possibilty. Looking again at the limited data that I have, I think that the implications are that Achille Moretti continued to own the Bugatti through at least one plate change, at which point it seems that it became acknowledged that his ownership was on behalf of Scuderia Nuvolari. We can guess as to a few reasons why there was a "Scuderia Nuvolari" and what advantages there might have been for one or more of the parties involved. I don't think we need go too far into the guessing aspects when there are studies that can be done.

We should keep in mind that Nuvolari was a truly professional racer by the 1930's. He was paid to drive in races by manufacturers, by race organizers and by teams and car owners who sought his talents. He was paid for promotional appearances. He was paid for the use of his name in association with events, cars and more. A document shared above might seem to indicate that Nuvolari was paid ahead of time for prize monies anticipated for Tripoli 1932 but the monies paid were more likely start monies that had been negotiated ahead of time even if they had probably not yet been paid. Ferrari seemingly split the anticipated start money ahead of time with Nuvolari. This might have been a way of encouraging Nuvolari to refuse to defect for a better offer?

As a bit of supporting evidence, the actual Tripoli prize monies were not guaranteed, no matter how clever any lottery manipulations might have seemed, whether or not you believe in some or none of the stories that have been told. There is no way to guarantee that certain cars and drivers would even finish the race.
 
#24 ·
Thank you Ruedi

I've looked again more carefully at the check images and agree that the 1 lire tax stamp was applied and validated 1931 ... and was probably paid for at the time. Although I am not 100% certain that this was the procedure, it does seem likely. The check may have been purchased by Alfa Romeo on behalf of Nuvolari?

17 September 1931: The delayed payment check was purchased by Alfa Romeo or Nuvolari, seemingly in Milano. Does this mean that the check was used (written) at the same time? Probably not, particularly since the check was seemingly written in Mantova. Maybe we could think of it as a kind of traveller's check with different rules as to how it was used? More generically, we might call it a third-party promissary note?

Looking again at the wording, I wonder if the "Pagabile al mi domicilio preso Soc. An. Alfa Romeo - via M.U. Traiano 33 - Milano" might actually mean "payable at my account in care of Alfa Romeo". If so, it might well be that the payment really was to Achille Moretti with the funds to be collected from Alfa Romeo on behalf of Nuvolari?

27 June 1932: The check was either written on this date or it was written earlier and post-dated to this date. Until we find the actual reference that gives context, I don't think we can know. But, it seems clear that the check was not actually paid on that date but was held for a time period of more than 5 weeks.

5 August 1932: The check ("cambiale") was cleared for payment?

27 September: This is an uncertain notation that appears to be an internal memo of some sort, perhaps dating from 1931 or 1932.
 
#25 ·
The comment from Alfa stated that "as far as I can understand, mister Moretti was not related to Alfa Romeo, but only the man whom Nuvolari (and Alfa Romeo) owed this money."

Perhaps the payment was made through Alfa for tax purposes?

I wonder if the bank survives or was taken over and whether any records survive? I will pursue this on Monday.
 
#26 ·
Context is everythng?

I have read and re-read the limited material we have and admit easily that we simply do not know enough to come to any firm conclusions. The language of what was written by Nuvolari could be interpreted as "payable to" or "payable at". The remainder of the information seems to suggest that the first interpretation is less likely than the second. That's as far as I can go with the data we have.

I have found many times that many modern-day Italians are not in agreement as to how things were done in the days of old. The context of the acts in question would have been clear to those who were involved. As outsiders looking in without that essential context, we can be forgiven for a bit of confusion.

I should do some homework before offering this reminder to those who might otherwise assume that Italian is a "pure" language. I've not bothered to try to identify the precise "when" of this, but I have been told more than once that the Italian language in common usage today was made a standard unifying language much less than 200 years ago. I was told by more than one Italian that the language decree was made not long before the turn of the last century. This means that, unless you happened to be from the region where the chosen dialect was already in use prior to that time, there were new lessons to be learned throughout the remainder of Italy that were not likely natural to them, even to the local teachers. For those others, "Italian" (as we know it) was not likely to be second-nature for many even by the 1930's?

Perhaps it is changing today, but even during my earliest trips to Italy in the 1980's, it was obvious that there were many dialects still in use that were largely unrecognizable to a casual Italian speaker and even to some Italians who lived a short distance away from another geographically distinct area.

I can certainly say from personal observation and experience is that, even today, Italian is not used in a consistent manner by all Italians even in the limited areas that I've been fortunate to spend time in. And, we all know that Italian does not have an exclusive on varied and inconsistent usage!

John
 
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