Technical characteristics

Cylinders: 6 online
Displacement: 3700 cc
Diameter: 111 mm
Stroke: 84.93 mm
Power: 250 H. P. at 5200 rpm
Vel. Max .: 230 km / h

ARGENTINE MISSION
The team was formed by Juan Manuel Fangio as sports director, Oreste Berta as technical director, the most talented Argentine pilots of that time, and a group of efficient mechanics.

PILOTS OF THE "ARGENTINE MISSION"
Auto No. 1 Luis Di Palma, Carmelo Galbato and Oscar Espinoza.
Auto Nro 2 Gastón Perkins, Eduardo Rodríguez Canedo and Jorge Cupeiro.
Auto Nro 3 Alberto Rodríguez Larreta "Larry", Eduardo Copello and Oscar Mauricio Franco.
Substitute Néstor Jesús García Vaiga.

THE RACE
On August 20, 1969, at 1 (German time) the test is over. From the beginning the surprise invades the German circuit; the white cars coming from so far occupy the first two places in the classification (Torino No. 2 and No. 3). On lap 41 the Torino No. 2 gets distracted and leaves. The weather conditions are deplorable, rain and fog make the race even more complicated. After 23 hours, the Torinos continue first, no longer surprising, the admiration takes over the boxes, where in different languages ​​it is repeated: Torino, Fangio, Argentina ...

A SINGLE TORINO ON THE TRACK
At 48 hours of competition, the Torino No. 1 is total without lights and Di Palma goes off track breaking the crankcase, a single Argentine car remains in the race. The Torino No. 3 must stop to change the exhaust pipe, allowing a Ford Capri to take the lead. The Torino is also embarked on a fierce duel with two official Lancia and a rotary engine Mazda.
A new arrangement in the muffler and a change of brake pads relegates to No. 3 to 6th. place. From then on, the three pilots of the only Torino on the track make an exceptional comeback. Copello, Larry and Franco demand their car discounting lap after lap to be placed 4th in the overall, were missing only 6 hours of the race. When they reached the third stop must change the escape order of the test director. There the possibilities of improving the final classification vanish.
Oscar Mauricio Franco leads the Torino Nro 3 in the last stage, which ends the Marathon at 84 hs. in 4th place in the general classification and 1st in its class (Turismo Clase). The Argentine box bursts of celebrations.

THE EMOTION OF THE FINAL
Fangio and Berta, the parents of the feat, were paraded by pilots, mechanics and other Argentines who were at the Nürburgring. At the top of the arms "El Chueco" can not repress an emotional tear.
Once again Fangio feels again the joy and recognition for the feat, yesterday, in 1957 and his unforgettable triumph aboard the Maserati, today, with an Argentine product, the Torino, the pilots and this "Mission Argentina" that concretized with the feat that was the result of the work of a group of men willing to fulfill each one their task.
That's why the euphoria and the final joy. That's why the endless and emotional celebration. That's why it was not a miracle, it was a feat.

84 HOURS OF NURBURGRING - TORINO
In 1969, inspired by Fangio and supported by Ika-Renault, an Argentine team participates in the "84 Hours of the Nürburgring" with three Torino machines, produced at the Santa Isabel plant in Córdoba and prepared by Oreste Berta.
The surprise for the public in the circuit and that of the participating teams was capital when one of the Argentine cars led it for 56 hours of competition.
It was the Torino Number 3 and that led Eduardo Copello, Rodríguez Larreta and Oscar Mauricio Franco.
Later, a problem in the exhaust pipe relegates it to the fourth place. The penalty imposed by the organizers due to excessive noise decreased the difference with the Ford Capri that was in second place.
Later the change of brake pads inevitable was added so that the Torino was not the winner, despite having covered the highest number of laps during the 84 Hours: 334 against 319 of the winners Kallstrom-Barbasio and Fall.
While they were in the race the three Argentine cars marched ahead of the Porsches, Mercedes, Lancia, BMW, Datsun, Volvo, Alfa Romeo and Triumph astonishing the specialists who began to ask Juan Manuel Fangio about the details of that car produced in Argentina.
Luis Di Palma had problems with the lights in the midst of the torrential rain that accompanied the participants during most of the competition and, although he was able to solve the problem, a runway exit left him out of the race. Something similar happened with the Torino number 2 driven by Cupeiro. And in this way, the Torino number 3 continued to establish the pace suggested by Juan M. Fangio up to the penalty for breakage of the exhaust pipe.
Amidst the sadness of the Argentine group, the timely and serene word of Fangio emerged, who said: "... But tell me one thing, little brother ... If you had been told in Argentina that we were going to tap half of the race and that we would finish fourth ... Would you have believed ...? "
The Argentine team was made up of riders Eduardo Copello, Rodriguez Larreta, Oscar Mauricio Franco, Jorge Cupeiro, Gaston Perkins, Eduardo Rodriguez Canedo, Luis Di Palma, Oscar Espinoza, Carmelo Galbatto, Nestor Garcia Veiga and Nestor Sainz.
Accompanied also by Oreste Berta, who was in charge of the group of mechanics and collaborators, composed of Batelli, Andrew, Casarín, Comari, José Diez, Cordero, Huerta, Pablo Macagno, San Feliu, Zagaglia, J.C. Zurita and Giaconi.
Fangio advised in the days before the riders showing them the details of the difficult Nürburgring circuit, with the express indication that they tried the use of high gears in curves, to maintain an even rhythm in the competition, taking care of tires and brakes.
In the group, there were no fissures and with the results in sight, it is undeniable that the so-called "Mission Argentina" fulfilled a task that is remembered by all the sports fans of the country.

"And because we are all Argentines, it is that all our faith, all our enthusiasm, are concentrated in the colors of our flag and in these two words: INDUSTRY ARGENTINA, as the only badge these cars show that brings Europe our great hope"

Juan Manuel Fangio