Juan Manuel Fangio (June 24, 1911 – July 17, 1995)

Affectionately nicknamed "El Chueco" ("bandy-legs") or "El Maestro" ("The Master") by his many fans, Fangio was born in Balcarce, Argentina in 1911. After completing military service, he opened his own mechanic shop and entered local car races. Fangio competed in his first race at 18, at the wheel of a Ford taxi cab. The route covered long distances on dirt roads, up and down South America. One of them, the Gran Premio del Norte – round trip from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru – covered 6,000 miles and took nearly two weeks to complete.

Following a series of victories, Fangio, sponsored by the Argentine government, left for Europe at the end of World War II to pursue his career. But it wasn’t until 1949, aged 37, that he achieved regular success on the European circuit. In 1950 – the start of the modern Grand Prix era with the advent of Formula One – driving in the Alfa Romeo team, he won his first race in Monaco, which was followed in 1951 by the first of five World Drivers’ Championship titles.

In 1954, Fangio made a mid-season switch from Maserati to Mercedes, a move which helped him clinch his second world title — the first of four consecutive titles — by capturing every pole position and winning six of eight championship races. He repeated that for Mercedes the next year, winning his third World Championship driving the famous “Silver Arrows” cars of Mercedes manager, Alfred Neubauer, and teamed with Englishman Sterling Moss. When the young Moss won the British Grand Prix in 1955 — the first Briton to capture his home Grand Prix — he suggested that his mentor, El Maestro, may have allowed him to win by the scant margin of 0.2 seconds.

Moving on to Ferrari in 1956, Fangio posted six pole positions in seven races, and won three of them (with four seconds) to claim his fourth - and many feel his greatest - World Championship title.

In 1957 he returned to Maserati, winning a fifth history-making title with a stunning “come-back” performance at the German Grand Prix which Time magazine described as “the finest drive of his glorious career” and which remains, for many, one of the greatest races of all times.

After a few races in 1958 he abruptly retired. Having nothing more to prove, he simply states "It is finished."

Throughout his amazing career, Juan Manuel Fangio broke many records; including winning a race at the slowest recorded speed. His wins-versus-starts is a record that has not, and probably will never, be matched by any other Formula 1 driver. With five World Drivers’ Championships, his record stood for 46 years, until Michael Schumacher’s sixth win in 2003.

Many automobile enthusiasts consider Juan Manuel Fangio a mythical figure and grand master of the racing world. Beyond his astounding racing accomplishments, Fangio possessed an endearing personality. Though humble and shy, he was a remarkable showman and was respected universally as a true gentleman and icon.