Giovanni Lurani

Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi (December 19 1905 - January 1995) was an Italian automobile engineer, racing car driver and journalist. Also, he was conte di Calvenzano.

He studied engineering at the Politecnico di Milano and raced cars such as Salmson, Derby, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, participated eleven times in Mille Miglia, winning three times: 1933 in an MG K3, 1948 in a Healey and 1952 in a Porsche).

After partaking in the second Italo-Abyssinian War (1935-36), he founded the racing team Scuderia Ambrosiana along with Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cortese (1937), and sustained a bad hip-injury in Maserati 4 CM at Crystal Palace (circuit), thus ending his single-seater career (1938).

After World War II Lurani got more involved in administration and politics, such as FIA where he initiated the GT (1949) and Formula Junior (1959). . He also designed record breaking motorcycles based on Moto Guzzi, and was president of the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Sporting Commission for several years.

Publications

 * Auto Italiana, which he founded and edited
 * Nuvolari (Cassell & Company Ltd., 1959). With Luigi Marinatto.
 * La storia delle macchine da corsa (1970). Translation History of the racing car:  Man and machine (1972)
 * La storia della Mille Miglia 1927-57 (1979).
 * Alfa Romeo: Catalogo ragionato (1982). With Paolo Altieri.
 * Racing around the world 1920-35.