Alfonso de Portago

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cabeza de Vaca and the second or maternal family name is Leighton.
The Marquess of Portago
Portago aboard his Ferrari 860 Monza, 1957
BornAlfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton
(1928-10-11)11 October 1928
London, England
Died12 May 1957(1957-05-12) (aged 28)
Cavriana, Lombardy, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
NationalitySpain Spanish
Active years1956 – 1957
TeamsFerrari
Entries5
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points4
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1956 French Grand Prix
Last entry1957 Argentine Grand Prix
Signature

Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, 11th Marquess of Portago, GE (11 October 1928 – 12 May 1957),[1] best known as Alfonso de Portago, was a Spanish aristocrat, racing and bobsleigh driver, jockey and pilot.

Born in London to a prominent family in the peerage of Spain, he was named after his godfather, king Alfonso XIII.[2] His grandfather, the 9th Marquess of Portago had been Mayor of Madrid while his father, who was President of Puerta de Hierro[3] and a prolific golfer, died of a heart attack while showering after a polo match. His mother, Olga Leighton, was an Irish nurse.

At age 17, Portago began displaying his flamboyant lifestyle by winning a $500 bet after flying a borrowed plane under London Tower Bridge.[4] He twice rode the Grand National as "gentleman rider" and formed the first Spanish bobsleigh team with his cousins, finishing 4th in the 1956 Winter Olympics, shaving the bronze medal by 0.14 seconds.[5]

In 1953, he was introduced into the Scuderia Ferrari team, competing at the Carrera Panamericana, 1000 km Buenos Aires and several Grand Prix, including a win and second place at the 1956 Tour de France Automobile and 1956 British Grand Prix respectively.

His promising career was cut short in May 1957 after his renowned Ferrari 335 S crashed near the village of Guidizzolo when a tyre burst while driving along a dead straight road at 150 mph (240 km/h) in the 1957 running of the Mille Miglia, killing Portago, his navigator, and nine spectators.[6] The young age of the marquess who was 28 at the time of his death combined with his status as a sex symbol[7] caused a shock amongst many, having several tributes and landmarks named after him, most notably the "Portago curve" at Jarama racetrack.[8]

The Marquess of Portago was seen by many as a true playboy of his time;[9][10][11] "a tall, handsome and wealthy Spanish aristocrat who captured everybody's imagination".[12] Gregor Grant famously said of him: "a man like Portago appears only once in a generation, and it would probably be more accurate to say only once in a lifetime. The fellow does everything fabulously well. Never mind the driving, the steeplechasing, the bobsledding, the athletic side of things, never mind being fluent in 4 languages. (...) He could be the best bridge player in the world if he cared to try, he could certainly be a great soldier, and I suspect he could be a fine writer".[13]

  1. ^ "Motorsport Memorial - Alfonso de Portago". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  2. ^ Vanity Fair: Portago, el ahijado de Alfonso XIII (y primo de Isabel Sartorius) que amaba la velocidad - 19 August 2018
  3. ^ ABC: Golf en "Puerta de Hierro" - 20 February 1932
  4. ^ Stephane Groueff: My Odyssey p. 182
  5. ^ The Rake: Full Marquess - Alfonso de Portage - November 2016 - Ed Cripps
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference SI1957HorrorInItaly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ McDonough 2006, pp. 3–6.
  8. ^ Robert Grey Reynolds Jr: Marqués de Portago - Spanish Ferrari Driver and Playboy p. 18
  9. ^ Elson, James (August 4, 2022). "Legendary playboy de Portago's Ferrari F1 car goes up for sale". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Verbo, E. (August 26, 2017). "El hijo de Soledad Cabeza de Vaca, marquesa de Moratalla, denuncia su "secuestro"". El Mundo. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Luque, Xavier G. (June 17, 2022). "De Paco Godia a la trágica muerte de Alfonso de Portago". La Vanguardia. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Movistar+ - Informe Robinson: Marqués de Portago (Ed McDonough on Portago)
  13. ^ Padgett, Martin (1 October 2005). Fifty Years with Car and Driver. Filipacchi Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-9332-3100-6.