Juan Manuel Fangio Tribute
On November 10th, in Balcarce, Juan Manuel Fangio's remains have been moved from the local cemetery to a mausoleum within his own museum located in the same city, where he was born.
Local car enthusiasts and classic car owners were waiting in the city's main square for the convoy to arrive from the cemetery to the museum located some meters away.
The event was very special, with appearances of very important people relevant to Juan Manuel's life. I have been lucky enough to see in the flesh legends like Sir Jackie Stewart, friend of Juan Manuel and 3 times F1 champion, Oreste Berta who was a key player in the 84 hours of Nürburgring where Juan Manuel also took a huge part of, and Horacio Pagani, founder of Pagani Automobili who owes a lot to Juan Manuel after he helped him get his feet on the door.
Everyone had nothing but nice words to say about him and his sportsmanship, and he will be forever remembered as one of the all time greats, now resting along with his F1 trophies and all other things that represent him and his story, in his museum, in the town that witnessed his life and loves him dearly.
Apart from them, I could also meet the owner and the artist of the Zonda Carpincho: Jorge Gómez and Joaquín Arbiza. Both great gentlemen who made this event even better, thanks to a very down to earth attitude and quite a lot of interaction with the audience.
Artist Joaquín Arbiza (left) created this fantastic sculpture of a Pagani Zonda for Jorge Gómez (right).
The name "Zonda Carpincho" (Carpincho means Capybara in Spanish) comes from the type of coins used in the artwork. Over 100.000 $2 Uruguayan coins (among others) were used, with over 500.000 soldering points, which is astonishing.
The resemblance with the real car is uncanny, even to the weight of the artwork matching the weight of the real car. A really outstanding piece by Joaquín that now lives within Jorge Gómez's personal museum.
One of my personal highlights of this event that made me so happy is the fact that I got my Pagani Hypercars book signed by the man himself 🤩❤️ and even got a picture with him. Such a legend! And a dream come true for me. Bonus points: it was Horacio’s 66 birthday!
After the event, I could also go visit the house and garage where Juan Manuel was born and raised in Calle 13, Nº321 (now called Juan Manuel Fangio street as well). It’s a place with such a beautiful energy and importance to the city.
This is the homage Juan Manuel deserved and I'm very happy he now rests alongside all his history. Go visit him if you get the chance. You won't regret it.
Rest in peace, Juan Manuel. It's an honor to share your name.
If you got until here, thanks! I hope you liked the story. What’s your favorite part? Which one is your favorite picture? I’ll read you in the comments.
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