Piloti, Che Gente…

First edition of this wonderfully illustrated work by the legendary Enzo Ferrari. Quarto, original illustrated boards, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed and dated by Enzo Ferrari and Jlegendary driver Jacky Ickx on the title page. Jacques Bernard “Jacky” Ickx is former racing driver widely regarded as one of the most gifted and versatile competitors in the history of international motorsport, whose career across nearly four decades encompassed Formula One, endurance racing, the Dakar Rally, and the Can-Am Championship with a distinction unmatched by almost any of his contemporaries. Ickx competed in Formula One from 1967 to 1979, winning eight Grands Prix and finishing as runner-up in the World Championship on two occasions, in 1969 and 1970, driving for such celebrated constructors as Ferrari, Brabham, and Lotus, coming closest to the title in 1970 when he narrowly missed beating the posthumously crowned champion Jochen Rindt despite winning three Grands Prix that season. It is at Le Mans, however, that his legend is most firmly established: a six-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a twice World Endurance Champion, Can-Am champion, and winner of the 1983 Paris-Dakar Rally, Ickx brought to every discipline he entered an exceptional combination of mechanical sensitivity, tactical intelligence, and an almost supernatural ability in wet conditions that led many of his peers to regard him as the finest rain driver of his generation. His 1969 Le Mans victory, achieved after he famously walked to his car in deliberate protest of the traditional running start that he considered unnecessarily dangerous, and which he won in a photo finish after twenty-four hours of racing, remains one of the most celebrated individual performances in the history of endurance motorsport. In near fine condition with the rare original box.