Auto Race Car Driver, sportsman and playboy. His complete name was Don Alfonso Antonio Vicente Blas Angel Francisco Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, Carvajal y Are, 17mo. Marqués de Portago, Marqués de Moratalla, 13er. Conde de la Majorada, Conde de Pernía, Duque de Alagón, Grande de España. He was born in London, but he grew up in Biarritz. His mother came from Ireland and was the widow of a wealthy financier. He excedeed in polo, fencing, bobsleigh, riding and flying. He made his racing debut at the 1954 1000 Kms of Buenos Aires driving his own Ferrari sportscar and partnered by Harry Schell. They finished second. Then he sold the Ferrari and bought a Maserati and raced with some success in Europe. In 1955 Enzo Ferrari sold him a Formula One car that de Portago destroyed in the International Race Trophy at Silverstone, badly breaking a leg in the accident. For the 1956 season Ferrari hired de Portago as the fifth factory driver, alongside such stars like Fangio, Musso, Collins and Castellotti. His best finish in Formula One was a shared second place at the British GP when he handed his car over to Collins. He finished fifth in the 1957 Argentina GP. On May 12th, one week before the Monaco GP his Ferrari suffered a tire failure in the closing stages of the Mille Miglia near the village of Guidizzolo. In the accident De Portago, his co-driver Edmund Nelson and ten spectators -five of them children- were killed. Twenty more people were injured. This crash ended the history of the Mille Miglia. De Portago was married with an American lady and had two children, but at the time of his death he was living a love affair with the actress Linda Christian, ex-wife of Tyrone Power. Alfonso de Portago was a true sportsman, a remarkable lover, and an exceptional character. He was buried in Madrid in the Cementerio Sacramental de San Isidro but was moved in 1968 to Arcangues, France, to the Panteon. This site is close to the town of Biarritz where he grew up.