Cyril Snipe (1888-1944) was a British motor racing driver who won the 1912 Targa Florio in Sicily driving an Italian SCAT motor car.
Cyril Snipe (1888-1944) was a British motor racing driver who won the 1912 Targa Florio in Sicily driving an Italian SCAT motor car.
Cyril Arthur Snipe was born at Conisborough, Yorkshire, in the first quarter of 1888 to Arthur W Snipe, a schoolmaster, and Fanny (née Banner). By the time of the 1901 census the family were living in Tamworth, Staffordshire. Snipe was the nephew of a Manchester car dealer, John Bennett of Newton-Bennett, who backed his early racing career. [1]
Newton and Bennett was an associate company of SCAT (Società Ceirano Automobili Torino), an automobile manufacturer from Turin, Italy, that was founded in 1906 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano. Snipe reportedly worked at the Turin factory as a test driver. [2]
In 1910 he achieved a class victory in the Modena sprint driving an (Società Piemontese Automobili) S.P.A., manufactured in Turin by Matteo Ceirano. [1]
Snipe won the Targa Florio (Giro di Sicilia) on 25 and 26 May 1912 when, driving a SCAT 25/35 with his co-driver Pedrini, they completed the 965 kilometre course around the island of Sicily in 24 hours 37 minutes 39 seconds. Snipe defeated a field of 26 cars, including Lancia, Isotta-Fraschini, Fiat and Alfa. The race passed through Palermo; Messina; Catania; Syracuse; Ragusa; Gela; Agrigento; Marsala; Trapani; and back to Palermo. [1]
Snipe drove a SCAT again in the 1913 Targa Florio race but failed to finish. [1]
In 1919 the British manufacture Eric-Campbell entered two cars in the tenth Targa Florio held on 23 November and comprising 4 laps of the 108 kilometre Madonie circuit. The drivers were Snipe and Jack Scales who would subsequently race for the Italian marque Chiribiri. l'Inglese Scalese (The Englishman Scales) in car number 23 retired after 1 lap due to a broken steering arm, whilst Snipe did not complete a single lap in car number 24. [3] [4]
In 1911 Snipe married Blanche L Blainey in Salford, Greater Manchester but she died in 1918 in Portsmouth aged 28. Thus in 1922 he married Emily Hendrey (or Moreton) in Paddington. [1]
His death was registered in Surrey in 1944 at the age of 55. [1]
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. While the first races consisted of a whole tour of the island, the track length in the race's last decades was limited to the 72 km (45 mi) of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, which was lapped 11 times.
S.P.A. was an Italian automobile, military vehicle and aero-engine manufacturer founded in Turin by Matteo Ceirano and Michele Ansaldi. It was active between 1906 and 1926. In 1908, it merged with Fabbrica Ligure Automobili Genova (FLAG) and the new company, Società Ligure Piemontese Automobili, was headquartered in Genoa while manufacturing in Turin.
Nino Vaccarella was an Italian sports car racing and Formula One driver.
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The Fiat 4 HP was the first model of car produced by FIAT, from 1899 to 1900 based on a third party design.
Matteo Ceirano was an Italian businessman in the early automobile industry who co-founded the manufacturers Ceirano; Itala Fabbrica Automobili in 1904 and Società Piemontese Automobili (S.P.A.) in 1908.
Ceirano GB & C was a historic automobile company, founded in October 1888 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano, Emanuele di Bricherasio, Attilio Calligaris, Pietro Fenoglio and Cesare Goria Gatti.
The SCAT was an Italian automobile manufacturer from Turin, founded in 1906 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano.
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The Eric-Campbell was a British car made from 1919 to 1924 by Eric-Campbell & Co Limited of Cricklewood, London. The company was formed by H Eric Orr-Ewing and Noel Campbell Macklin.
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Giovanni Battista Ceirano was an Italian entrepreneur and car pioneer. The first motorcar he designed and built was the Well-Eyes, but he sold the rights to Giovanni Agnelli of F.I.A.T. who manufactured it in volume as their first motorcar.
Ernesto Ceirano (1875–1953) was an Italian entrepreneur, racing driver and motoring pioneer. Born in Cuneo in 1875, Ceirano was the youngest of four brothers who were pioneers of the Italian car industry. In 1908 he finished third in the Targa Florio driving his brother's S.P.A. automobile.
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid, also known as S.T.A.R. and Rapid, was an Italian car manufacturer founded by Giovanni Battista Ceirano in Turin in July 1904. Rapid was its trademark. In 1921 it was acquired by the S.P.A. company that had been founded by Giovanni Battista's brother Matteo Ceirano, and which, in 1925, was taken over by Fiat.
Giovanni Ceirano was an Italian industrialist and automotive pioneer. He cofounded 'Junior Fabbrica Automobili Torinese' in 1905, 'Società Ceirano Automobili Torino' in 1906, 'Fabbrica Automobili Ceirano' in 1917 and 'SCAT- Ceirano' in 1923.
Giovanni "Ernesto" Ceirano (1889-1956) was an Italian industrialist, son of Giovanni Ceirano, co-founder of Fabbrica Automobili Ceirano, co-owner of Aurea and two-time winner of the Targa Florio.
Fratelli Ceirano & C was an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1901 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano and his brother Matteo Ceirano after they had left F.I.A.T. Their own automobile manufacturing business, Ceirano GB & C and its Welleyes motorcar, had been taken over by Giovanni Agnelli and his new F.I.A.T. consortium in 1899, whereupon the Welleyes was marketed as the F.I.A.T. 4HP, the first ever Fiat. The Ceiranos were not satisfied as employees and 'Italian sales agents' of F.I.A.T. so they founded Fratelli Ceirano & C in Turin, which, by July 1903 had morphed into Società Torinese Automobili Rapid (S.T.A.R.), and the cars were badged as Rapid.
Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili, or Ceirano Giovanni Fabbrica Automobili or Giovanni Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili was an Italian automobile manufacturer from Turin, founded in 1919 by Giovanni Ceirano and his son Giovanni "Ernesto" Ceirano.
Fabbrica Junior Torinese d'Automobili, Ceirano Junior, Junior F.J.T.A., was an Italian automobile manufacturer based in Turin which was founded by Giovanni Ceirano in 1905. The Junior, often known as F.J.T.A., was made from 1905 until 1909
Automobili Nazzaro was an Italian manufacturer of automobiles from 1911 to 1916, and 1919–1923. Founded by racing driver Felice Nazzaro it produced circa 490 vehicles in total and won both the 1913 and 1920 Targa Florios in Sicily.
