Havana harbor and "Remember the Maine" Monument in the background -- GP car in foreground
At the 1957 GP of Cuba, Fangio, along with Roberto Batista's son and Fernandez
1991 photo of Fangio with Stirling Moss, who won the 1958 Grand Prix of Cuba
The abduction took place the night before the race, as one man entered the lobby of Fangio's hotel, while two accomplices waited outside. The man walked over to Fangio's chauffeur, frisked him, then walked over to the desk where Fangio was talking to friends about dinner plans. He spoke directly to the champion -- "you are Fangio?"he said."Will you come with me, please, I am from the 26th of July Movement. Don't resist and you won't be hurt." (Fangio later said, "I felt he meant it."
The two men blocking the entrance then showed their pistols. As the abdcutor walked Fangio out of the hotel lobby, he said again to those around the lobby, "Don't move or I'll shoot." That was the last anyone saw of Fangio for then next 29 hours.
With that Havana suddenly went wild, with rumors, reports and a police presence so tight that one observer later said that a cockroach couldn't have passed through a cordon thrown around the perimeter of the city.
Of that first hour, Fangio said "just outside the hotel was a car. The three men with me were very courteous and said please, would I lie down on the floor of the back seat because they didn't want me to be hurt if there was gun fire. I did. they took me to a home where we stayed for perhaps fifteen minutes. Then I was put in another cart and driven -- for not very long -- to another house in the suburbs where I was kept for less than half an hour. I did not know where wee were: I don't know the city of Havana well. I was in the back seat on that trip. I asked if they had a hat I could borrow since I didn't want to be recognized then. Finally I was escorted to yet another car in which we traveled to a third home where I was kept until my release."
(to be continued)
The two men blocking the entrance then showed their pistols. As the abdcutor walked Fangio out of the hotel lobby, he said again to those around the lobby, "Don't move or I'll shoot." That was the last anyone saw of Fangio for then next 29 hours.
With that Havana suddenly went wild, with rumors, reports and a police presence so tight that one observer later said that a cockroach couldn't have passed through a cordon thrown around the perimeter of the city.
Of that first hour, Fangio said "just outside the hotel was a car. The three men with me were very courteous and said please, would I lie down on the floor of the back seat because they didn't want me to be hurt if there was gun fire. I did. they took me to a home where we stayed for perhaps fifteen minutes. Then I was put in another cart and driven -- for not very long -- to another house in the suburbs where I was kept for less than half an hour. I did not know where wee were: I don't know the city of Havana well. I was in the back seat on that trip. I asked if they had a hat I could borrow since I didn't want to be recognized then. Finally I was escorted to yet another car in which we traveled to a third home where I was kept until my release."
(to be continued)
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