A topic of discussion in the Classic Driver office is often which era we would like to be transported to and experience first-hand. Standing dangerously close to the sparkling blue waters of Monaco to catch a glimpse of Fangio and Moss’ Silver Arrows flying past would be a special moment in time, but when we discovered the origins of this stunning Ferrari 750 Monza by Scaglietti and how it was raced by true icons of the sport, we all agreed that this could be the perfect era to teleport to.

In the mid-1950s, sports car racing took America by storm. In many states, almost every weekend, you could find professional and gentleman drivers pushing their machines to their limits, all with the aim of standing on the top step of the podium. While many drivers chose to remain loyal to their American marques, others looked further afield, and it was the Ferrari 750 Monza that made its first appearance in the gruelling 12 Hours of Sebring in 1955. Behind the wheel were none other than Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby, who were initially declared the winner, but later lost second place after another look at the lap charts, leaving the Jaguar D-Type of Mike Hawthorn and Phil Walters to take the win.

The Ferrari won a number of events in the mid-1950s, including the Del Monte Trophy Pebble Beach Road Races in 1955 and 1956, as well as Jim Hall’s victory in his first road race at Fort Sumner in New Mexico, and remained in Hall’s care for decades before being sold to the Ottis family in 2016 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction. While so many of these legendary racers remain museum pieces to be admired, the Ottis family knows a thing or two about Ferrari and motorsports through their world-famous Patrick Ottis Company shop in Berkeley, California. Today, the world of historic racing thrives, allowing father-son duos like Pattrick and Tazio to continue their competitive glory, and this weekend Tazio raced a 750 Monza against a slew of Jaguars, Aston Martins and Maseratis in the coveted Freddie March Memorial Trophy. We caught up with Tazio first at a local garage shortly after the car arrived from California, and later while he and his team were busy unloading the precious white and blue Monza at Goodwood. Intrigued by their story, we wanted to find out where Tazio’s love of cars came from: “I’m very fortunate to have grown up in a small but world-renowned Ferrari restoration shop in Berkeley, California, owned and still run by my dad, Patrick Ottis. I fell in love with the projects in the shop, the passion and connections it brought, the community and the opportunity to support the red Formula 1 team from a young age.”

Having spent his entire life surrounded by a stable of prancing horses, it’s easy to see why Tazio admires Ferrari so much. Having worked on many of Maranello’s finest cars, there came a time when the desire to own a car of his own became too great, and Tazio explains how the duo came to own such a special car: “My father wanted a new project that we could tackle together. He eventually traded in his pre-war Alfa Romeo for a Monza. When this car became available, it was very intriguing to us because of its American history and livery. It’s true to who we are, if not better than any other car. We’re proud of who we are, and proud to be making history with Ferrari.” True, the Ottis family are probably the ideal custodians of such a unique combination of Italian engineering with American racing history and glory. Now that the car is regularly used in competitions around the world, we were intrigued to find out what it was really like to race such an important piece of history.

“Our first race in the car was at Laguna Seca, which was actually the day after we showed up and won our class at Pebble Beach. Some people thought we were crazy, but we wanted to prove that you can prepare a car for both the track and the lawn, and it did both. It’s hard to beat racing this car on a track as iconic as Laguna, especially since two of its wins over Phil Hill and Shelby were just a few miles away at the Pebble Beach road races.”

And so, from the gravel traps of the corkscrew and the lawns of Pebble Beach, Tazio and the 750 Monza are in the Goodwood paddock ahead of what promises to be another incredible weekend of historic racing. While Laguna Seca boasts 11 corners, the historic grounds of Goodwood only have six major corners to negotiate, but it’s no easy track to race. It may look simple on the drawings, mostly filled with right-handers, but experiencing the minimal run-off, the adverse corners with the cambered edges and the chicane barely wide enough for American muscle cars for the first time is an unforgettable experience that Tazio savours on every visit. “Goodwood is a fantastic circuit. It looks like an old-school layout but there’s something so lovely about it. It’s relatively quick and short on laps, I feel, and has a wonderful flow to it. It always leaves you with a feeling of ‘if only I could have a few more laps to play with’ after every session!”

Risk comes with reward, and Revival balances the celebration of historic motoring with the thrill of competition better than any other event. While every race has its own significance and value, the Freddie March Memorial Trophy is the most valuable and fiercely contested. While it’s an incredible spectacle for the thousands of fans at the trackside, we wondered if racing a car with such historical and financial value as these ever entered Tazio’s mind. His response was, quite frankly, exactly what we expected: “I never worry too much about damaging our Monza. Fortunately, it hasn’t happened yet, and maybe it never will! I think it’s something that most everyone who shows up understands and accepts. I think we all exercise a certain level of caution, but we can still race hard, and that’s the magic of it.” When that car was crossing the finish line at Sebring or taking the flag in New Mexico, there was no reason to worry about it. It was used as a tool to win. While its value has skyrocketed, cars like these were born from the desire to win, and long may it remain that way!

As well as the highly prized starting grid, the Goodwood Revival races allow drivers to rub shoulders and wing mirrors with motorsport legends, and the 750 Monza will likely face its toughest competition since its heyday. We wondered if there was one car Tazio would have liked to beat, and in true racing driver style there wasn’t just one car to beat: “Of course I’d like to beat all the cars! But then there are the fast drivers and cars! The D-Types are such beautiful cars, it would have been nice to be ahead of them, but that was a tough task back then!” Similarly, the starting grid is packed with Formula 1, Touring Car and Le Mans icons, all united by their love of racing. With the rare opportunity to go head-to-head with high-profile drivers, we asked if Tazio had a specific driver in mind that he’d like to beat: “It’s hard for me to think of a driver that I’d like to beat, but what I think is amazing is that we can all come together and race side by side and appreciate the spectacle of it all. It’s great to feel as much of a fan of this era of cars and the history that’s been created with them as someone like Jenson Button. It’s a pleasure to spend laps with people like that. To race and maybe beat someone like that is the icing on the cake.”

Tazio is smiling now, but we have a feeling that once his period-correct suit and helmet are fitted, the racing will be as intense as ever, with a few showers forecast for the weekend to add a bit more drama. We’ll be following Tazio’s progress in the 750 Monza throughout the weekend, with him taking part in all three days of the event, in practice, qualifying and the races themselves!

Photos by Kevin Arechiga for Classic Driver 2024