Gianni Bulgari
THE NAME BULGARI is synonymous with fine jewellery, but this particular branch of the family tree was a racing driver, too. ‘I never thought I could have been a professional driver,’ says Gianni Bulgari, ‘because I knew very well my responsibility to the family business. But I was fast enough to enjoy racing, and sometimes I won, driving wonderful cars the business enabled me to buy.’
Gianni was born in Rome in 1935, son of Giorgio and grandson of Sotirio, the latter of whom had founded the Bulgari empire. His expertise in jewellery goes back to his teenage years, when he travelled with his father, learning the secrets of trading in precious stones to become one of the most respected specialists in his field. Together with younger brothers Paolo and Nicola, Gianni went on to lead the family business, and was appointed co-chief executive in 1966 on the death of his father, driving the firm to worldwide success.
In spite of his professional activities and the demands of graduating in law from the University of Rome, he found time in his younger years to live life to the full, racing GT cars from 1961 to 1964. His debut was with an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato (chassis AR101.26700043), the car he went on to race the most before upgrading in 1963 to a Ferrari 250 GTO (no. 3413 GT), in
