Taruffi Museum

The Taruffi Museum was established in 2002 within the former municipal slaughterhouse building located at Via Fidanza 55. The Piero Taruffi Association offers an intriguing journey that testifies to the technical progress in the field of motorsports. Inside, you can admire the permanent exhibition titled: "THE BISEATER UNDER THE X-RAY – Anatomy of a Racing Car."

Piero Taruffi

An outstanding pilot, record holder, tester, and designer, Taruffi's extensive list of achievements can only be compared to that of the greatest drivers of all time. Taruffi won numerous prestigious auto racing and motorcycle sports competitions. In addition to setting several world speed records, he designed significant technical innovations and contributed to the development of various prototypes, including the famous "Rondine," considered the first modern-era motorcycle.

While he primarily leaned towards motorcycle races, Taruffi managed to secure victories in the three most important global road track auto races: the Targa Florio in 1952, the Carrera Panamericana in 1951, and the Mille Miglia in 1957. He placed second in the Dolomites Gold Cup of 1953. He retired from racing after the Mille Miglia at the age of fifty.

During the 1951 Carrera Panamericana, the Mexican press nicknamed him "El zorro plateado" (The Silver Fox) due to his prematurely silver hair and his driving style that was never aggressive but always aimed at exploiting every potential of the mechanical vehicle.

In October 2006, the Vallelunga Racetrack, designed by Taruffi in 1950, was dedicated to him.

Taruffi's sports career began in the early 1920s with a victory in the Italian university skiing championship and a 4th place in the French championship. In 1928, he was a part of the rowing team that secured the European title in the "eight-oar."

However, Taruffi's true passion was for engines. As a teenager in 1923, he won the Rome-Viterbo car race with his father Pompeo's Fiat 501. Pompeo, a renowned Roman surgeon, approved of his son's sporting enthusiasm as long as it went hand in hand with his studies.

After receiving an AJS 350 as a gift, he modified it and participated in the 1925 season, clinching victory in the 350 class on the Monte Mario circuit, which was an important local uphill speed race at the time. He then entered the Rome Grand Prix, from which he was forced to retire.

Source: Wikipedia