Guy Moll at the wheel of his Alfa Romeo Tipo B, before the start of the 1934 Monaco Grand Prix. Enzo Ferrari stands behind the car, in the white hat. Photo: Alfa Romeo

Enzo Ferrari was always a sucker for fighters who would never give up, like Tazio Nuvolari, Guy Moll and Gilles Villeneuve. In fact, he thought Moll could become the anti-Nuvolari, so talented was the little Algerian. But Guy’s brief yet spectacular career came to a sudden end on August 15, 1934 in the Coppa Acerbo race at Pescara, Italy.

Described by some as the greatest natural talent ever, Guillaume Laurent (Guy) Moll was born on May 28, 1910 to a Spanish mother and a French father, who had immigrated to Algeria. After completing his schooling, he first competed in a local event driving a Lorraine-Dietrich loaned to him for the occasion by wealthy Algerian businessman and gentleman driver Marcel Lehoux. The young man’s benefactor also put Moll down for the Grand Prix of Oran in northern Algeria, and this time loaned his protégé a Bugatti T35C, in which Moll immediately took the lead only to retire with mechanical problems.

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