The Coppa Florio (Florio Cup) was an automobile race first held in Italy in 1900 as the Coppa Brescia. It was renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50.000 Lira prize money and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The cup was to be awarded to the manufacturer who gained more wins in the first seven races, the first race being held in 1905. The first seven races were all won by different manufacturers, with Peugeot winning the eighth meeting in 1925 and securing the cup with its second win. The race continued after Lucien Rosengart, then a director of Peugeot, offered up the cup for a second time.
The Brescia race ran along the route Brescia-Cremona-Mantova-Brescia. In 1908, the race used the Circuito di Bologna: Bologna-Castelfranco Emilia-Sant'Agata Bolognese-San Giovanni in Persiceto-Bologna. Since 1914 most of the Coppa Florio was co-organized with the Targa Florio at the Circuito delle Madonie circuit outside Palermo, Sicilia, running four or five laps, 108 km each. Only in 1927 did it move to Saint-Brieuc to honor Peugeot's win in 1925. The winners were:
| Edition | Date | Circuit | Winner | Vehicle | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | 10 September 1900 | Brescia | Alberto Franchetti | Panhard & Levassor 12 HP | n/a |
| -- | 5 September 1904 | Brescia | Vincenzo Lancia | Fiat 75 HP | 2*167 km=372.2 km in 3h12m |
| I | 4 September 1905 | Brescia | Giovanni Battista Raggio | Itala 112 HP | 3*167 km=500.7 km in 4h46m |
| II | 1 September 1907 | Brescia | Ferdinando Minoia | Isotta-Fraschini | 8*60 km=485.7 km in 4h39m |
| III | 6 September 1908 | Bologna | Felice Nazzaro | Fiat | 10*52 km=528.1 km in 4h25m |
| IV | 31 May 1914 | Madonie | Felice Nazzaro | Nazzaro | 3*148 km=446.5 km in 8h11m |
| V | 4 September 1921 | Brescia | Jules Goux | Ballot 3L | 519 km in 3h35m |
| VI | 19 November 1922 | Madonie | André Boillot | Peugeot | 432 km in 7h09m |
| VII | 27 April 1924 | Madonie | Christian Werner | Mercedes-Benz TF | 432 km in 6h32m |
| VIII | 3 May 1925 | Madonie | André Boillot | Peugeot | 540 km in 7h32m |
| IX | 25 April 1926 | Madonie | Bartolomeo Costantini | Bugatti Type 35 T | 540 km in 7h20m |
| X | 17 July 1927 | Saint-Brieuc | Robert Laly | Ariès | n/a |
| XI | 6 May 1928 | Madonie | Albert Divo | Bugatti Type 35 B | n/a |
| XII | 5 May 1929 | Madonie | Albert Divo | Bugatti Type 35 C | n/a |
Famous quotes containing the word florio:
“England is the paradise of women, the purgatory of men, and the hell of horses.”
—John Florio (c. 1553–1625)