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Like many young
Italian men
under
Mussolini’s
rule,
Luigi Della
Grotta’s
life was put on
hold as he
entered military
service during
World War II. On
a fateful day in
1941, as Luigi’s
battalion was
returning to
Sicily from
Casablanca, the
Italians were
captured by
American troops
in Enna, Sicily.
Luigi was one of
nearly 2000
prisoners who
would be sent to
the United
States in the
Prisoner of War
(POW) camps. He
spent two months
aboard a
merchant ship on
a voyage which
took him from
Sicily, to
Africa and
finally to New
York.
Upon their
arrival in New
York City, Luigi
identified
himself as a
mechanic. In
all, ten
Italians were
sent to learn
mechanics at a
school in
Atlanta,
Georgia. After
receiving his
diploma, Luigi’s
job was to
inspect motors
in American
camps. “In four
years I never
made a mistake,”
proclaims Della
Grotta.
When the war was
over and Luigi
was a free man,
he returned to a
war stricken
Italy, it was
barren and in
ruins. Cassino
had been
destroyed. A
local priest was
looking for
mechanics, and
Luigi was ready
to travel to the
farthest reaches
of the earth to
pursue his
passion. He
found his way to
Cordoba,
Argentina on a
two year
contract at an
aviation plant
earning 300
pesos per month.
Not bad. There
was only one
problem, Luigi
was an auto
mechanic not an
airplane
mechanic, he
knew little to
nothing about
airplanes. He
actually worked
there for six
months before
having to
explain to the
authorities that
there had been a
misunderstanding
and that he was
in fact an auto
mechanic. The
company agreed
to void his
contract.
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One
day Della Grotta
packed his bags
and booked a
flight to
Modena.
He entered the
Ferrari head
office and spoke
to Amerigo
Manicardi,
Ferrari’s
international
sales manager at
the time. Luigi
explained to Mr.
Manicardi that
he wanted a
Ferrari
dealership in
Canada.
Manicardi
refused to let
Luigi even speak
to Enzo
Ferrari,
and assuring him
that he had made
a mistake,
showed Luigi the
door.
Luigi returned
to Canada and
went on with his
life. But he
wasn’t going to
forget about it.
It wasn’t long
before he packed
his bags again;
destination
Modena. Luigi
met with
Manicardi. “Mr.
Della Grotta, go
back to Canada,”
he was told.
“I’ve just come
from Canada,”
Luigi fired
back. Manicardi
told him that
his proposition
was impossible
and showed Luigi
the exit once
again.
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One might say
that Luigi Della
Grotta has had a
love affair with
his suitcase,
his mechanic’s
tools and that
prancing
horse.
While most of
his dreams have
come true, Luigi
still has one
more desire, to
make Montreal
the automotive
capital of North
America. A wish
that does not
seem so far
fetched thanks
to his
contributions,
determination
and love for
what he does.
So just as he
brought the
first Ferrari to
Quebec, Luigi
also started the
first Ferrari
club in this
Province. In
1990 he founded
the Luigi
Ferrari Club.
In 1995 the club
was incorporated
as the Club
Ferrari Quebec.
There are
currently forty
members in the
club, which
organizes events
year round.
Frank
Del Pinto,
co-founder and
member of LCFQ
is proud to be
associated with
Luigi Della
Grotta’s club.
“Whenever there
was a world
meeting at
Ferrari, Enzo
Ferrari always
wanted his good
friend Luigi
Della Grotta to
be seated at his
table.” says Del
Pinto. Luigi was
referred to as
the “Enzo” of
Canada. It has
been said that
Luigi Della
Grotta and Enzo
Ferrari were a
lot alike. Those
who knew both
men will attest
to that. Nothing
but pure,
unbridled and
focused passion
for what was
Ferrari. They
were both
perfectionists,
meticulous in
every way, but
never changed
their philosophy
about their work
and about their
very special
“product”. They
conducted their
lives and
businesses in
the same way and
shared a
life-long mutual
admiration for
each other.
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As a young boy
in a tiny
village near
Cassino,
Luigi Della
Grotta
used to drive a
carriage
propelled by a
horse. He earned
two lira per
hour. Later on
in his life it
would be a
different horse
that would
propel his
dreams, a
prancing horse.
Luigino, as they
called him in
his native town
of
Sant’Apollinare
in the province
of Lazio, came
from a family of
seven children;
four boys and
three girls. Two
of the boys were
tailors, the
other two were
mechanics
including Luigi.
Luigi remembers
the days when
prior to
becoming a
mechanic one had
to learn to be a
“maniscalco”, a
blacksmith. “In
order to save
coal, a
horseshoe had to
be crafted on
the first
attempt, there
was no room for
errors” recalls
Luigi. Perhaps
this is where he
acquired his
perfectionism.
At the tender
age of 11, Luigi
began to learn
his trade in a
tiny mechanic
shop in Cassino.
It was also at a
young age that
Luigi’s
entrepreneurial
spirit began to
fleurish; He
began renting
bicycles in the
neighboring town
of San Giorgio a
Liri. |
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After
one year of
looking for work
in Argentina,
Luigi met
Juan-Manuel
Fangio,
a man who many
consider to be
the greatest
race car driver
of all time.
Luigi worked as
Fangio’s
mechanic in a
famous rally
championship
race with the
starting line in
Caracas and the
finish line in
Buenos Aires.
5000 kilometers
in distance.
Both Luigi Della
Grotta and
Juan-Manuel
Fangio would
eventually go
their separate
ways. Fangio
would write
formula one
history by
winning five
world
championships
with Maserati,
Alfa Romeo,
Mercedes and
Ferrari.
Luigi would
write his own
history in
Montreal,
Canada.
After several
tough years of
working as a
mechanic in
Montreal, Luigi
returned to his
wife Mabel, whom
he had met in
Argentina and
his two
daughters, Maria
and Sonia who
were now in
Italy. One day a
letter from a
man named David
Hamilton arrived
at the Della
Grotta house in
Italy. Hamilton
offered Luigi a
five year
contract to work
in his garage in
Montreal. Luigi
accepted the
offer and packed
his bags once
again.
After witnessing
Della Grotta’s
skills and
dedication to
his trade,
Hamilton gave
Luigi his very
own garage. He
was soon flooded
with work and
his business
began to thrive.
But Luigi had
something on his
mind and he
couldn’t let go
of it. He wanted
to bring
Ferraris to
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Luigi went home
to Montreal and
his business and
continued fixing
his cars. In
1960 he decided
to try his luck
one last time.
As Della Grotta
walked into the
Ferrari head
office an
exasperated
Amerigo
Manicardi stood
and watched in
disbelief, and
out of
desperation,
agreed to let
him speak to
Enzo
Ferrari.
Luigi explained
his plans to
Enzo Ferrari as
il commendatore
shook his head,
“I won’t allow
my cars to go to
the North Pole,
it’s too cold,”
he said. Luigi
assured Enzo
that his
automobiles
would only be
driven during
the summer.
Luigi’s
perseverance
paid off, a
Ferrari 250 was
the first
Ferrari to reach
Canada. The 250
would eventually
be sold to a
lawyer in Quebec
City and Luigi
Sport Cars was
born. Della
Grotta would
continue to sell
about a dozen
cars per year
but only to
clients he
deemed worthy.
He didn’t care
if you had a
million dollars
to spend, if you
didn’t know the
car, know how to
drive the car
and truly love
the car enough
to treat it
well, you didn’t
get one. In all
these years of
working on these
special
automobiles
Luigi has never
had a client
come back with a
complaint and
has never had
one single claim
made against
Ferrari. An
incredible feat
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The name Ferrari
will live on,
there is no
doubt, but for
those who are
intrigued by the
true mystique
behind this
name, you must
learn about its
origin, its
progression, its
failures and
triumphs. Many
race fans and
Ferrari fans of
a new generation
know Schumacher,
and
championships
and grand prix
parties. What
they may not
know is that in
a garage on
Henri Bourassa
in Ville
St-Laurent, an
85 year-old man
called
Luigi Della
Grotta
can be found,
every week from
Monday to
Saturday,
surrounded by
photographs,
cars and
memories.
A man who has
been around the
world and
experienced just
about anything
you can imagine.
He has worked
with legends,
walked with
legends and
whether he likes
it or not, has
himself become a
legend. If you
stop by and see
him, he’ll
invite you in,
offer you a seat
and a coffee and
some of the most
interesting
stories you’ll
ever hear.
Between the time
you get up to
leave and he
sees you to the
door and you’re
sitting in your
car, it dawns on
you that you
have just been
in the presence
of someone
special. If you
want to brush up
against the
greatness that
is
Ferrari,
don’t try to
bump into a
driver at a
party, go see
Luigi.
EDIT: Luigi
Della Grotta
passed away on
February 3rd,
2012 at the age
of 89 (Luigi
passed
in his Ferrari
Service shop
as he had always
predicted and
wanted)
Arrivederci caro
Luigi...
Written by Joey
Franco -
Panoramitalia
magazine -
May 7, 2012
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