Four of the cars of the five-time Formula 1 world champion, Juan Manuel Fangio, with which he won victories throughout his motorsport career, along with several of his trophies, are part of the exhibition in his tribute that was inaugurated this Saturday in Tecnópolis, the largest art, science and technology mega-exhibition in Latin America.
The exhibition was inaugurated by the Minister of Culture, Tristan Bauer and the director of Tecnopolis, Mary Rosenfeldtalong with one of Fangio’s sons, Rubén, and his grandson Leonel, as well as the president of the Fangio Foundation, Juan José Carli.
Bauer stressed that “this is an opportunity to get to know up close what the cars were like in which 70 years ago they ran at speeds that are very similar to those reached today, and that demonstrates the audacity and skill of the drivers of the generation of Fangio”.
“In Tecnópolis they will also be able to see how a car engine works, or that of a motorcycle, and they will be able to learn many things that are linked to motorsports from science or industry and for that there is a great job from all park workers and guides,” he added.
Rubén Fangio, son of the five-time world championthanked those present and pointed out that “as one learns more about Fangio’s career, one begins to understand many things from the details; my father was once clocked at 315 kilometers per hour, which is a current formula one speed , and that speaks not only to his ability, but to his courage.”
Juan José Carli, president of the Fangio Foundation, stated: “all Argentines should have the opportunity to visit the Balcarce museum, not only because it is one of the most beautiful, but also because it tells a very important part of our history; we have taken pieces from the museum to different places, but I must say that the love with which they were received at Tecnópolis made possible one of the best stagings outside of Balcarce”.
María Rosenfeldt, the director of Tecnópolis, thanked the workers of the property for their work in the exhibition and stressed that “this exhibition opens the door to intergenerational dialogue, it is an invitation to visit Tecnópolis as a family so that grandparents and parents can tell you these stories to the youngest; that dialogue is very important to us and that is why this exhibition is part of the diversity of proposals for science, art, culture, sports and industry with which we want to reflect ourselves as Argentines”.
The central pieces of this tribute to Fangio are four cars that traveled from the museum that was built in honor of the motorist in the Buenos Aires town of Balcarce, his hometown.
It is the Ford V8 Baquet with which Fangio participated in his first automobile competition in the seaside resort of Necochea on March 27, 1938; the classic 1939 Chevrolet Coupé bought by Fangio thanks to a collection organized by his friends with whom he started as a driver in Turismo Carretera; the Ferrari 166, with which he made his debut at the Monza Grand Prix in 1949, achieving victory after beating Ascari, Villoresi and Bonetto who were driving the official cars; and “La Negrita”, the Ford T, a true symbol in Fangio’s sporting history with which he ran four competitions in the National Mechanics category, achieving first place (Rosario), two thirds (Retiro and Mendoza) and registering one abandonment (Necochea).
“As one learns more about Fangio’s career, one begins to understand many things from the detailsRuben Fangio
In addition, cups, trophies, platelets, works of art, clothing of the time and different audiovisual materials that cover the history of Fangio are exhibited.
Visitors are greeted by a giant screen that shows images of the operation to transfer the cars from Balcarce to the Villa Martelli estate that Tecnópolis occupies, and once they enter the premises, in addition to the exhibition of the pieces, they find a wall of photographs of Juan Manuel Fangio driving those four vehicles in different races, a wall with advertising posters of races in which he participated and another screen that reproduces audiovisual pieces about different automobile feats of the five-time Formula 1 world champion.
Rodrigo, a merchant from Florencio Varela who arrived with his teenage children, told Télam: “My dad was the one who instilled in me a passion for motorsports, he took me to road touring races, but what I always remember is that after Fangio died he took me to the Balcarce museum and I had been very shocked”.
“More than great I managed to measure the historical importance of the figure of Fangio, which goes far beyond the five Formula 1 championships; I had pending to take my children to the Balcarce museum, but when they told me that this exhibition was here, I didn’t We hesitated a second to come,” he added.
Daniela, a domestic worker from Tres de Febrero who came to the exhibition with her family, told Télam: “With my husband, one of our first boyfriends outings was to Tecnópolis in 2013 or 2014, and the boys had not yet come with the school so we decided to bring them so they could get to know us; we didn’t remember much or it is clear that at that time we didn’t pay attention to things for the boys because the truth is that we found many very nice things that make us want to return”.
“We were touring the park when we saw the poster for the Fangio show, and since my husband likes cars we came, it’s very well set up and I, who don’t know anything about the subject, learned a lot; it’s also impressive to be able to walk around the cars and see how they drove or had to change gears, they are very rustic,” he added.
The exhibited pieces are part of the permanent exhibition of the Juan Manuel Fangio Cultural Technology Center and Automobile Museum; This exhibition has the support of Nación Seguros and Cigliutti Guerini Klasse, official Mercedes Benz dealership.
For twenty years, between 1938 and 1958, Fangio participated in 200 competitions and won 79 victories in the Road Tourism, Argentine National Mechanics, Formulas One and Two International, Grand Prix, Sport and Formula Free car categories.
In this eleventh edition and under the motto “Sovereign Argentina, creating futures”, Tecnópolis presents more than 70 spaces with interactive proposals, among which the Land of Dinos, the Amazing Park of Zamba and Nina, La Casa del Coloso, The Space Academy , the exhibition tribute to María Elena Walsh and the Espacio de Bichos.
Tecnópolis opens with free admission on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.; You can enter through any of its two entrances: Av. Juan Bautista de la Salle 4500 and Av. de los Constituentes 2220.
