Spanish Aristocrat Alfonso De Portago's Life and Fatal Racing Accident in His Ferrari
In the heart of Italy's Mille Miglia race in 1957, a poignant moment was captured on camera just before a catastrophic accident. The photograph, now known as the "Kiss of Death," immortalises the final moments of Alfonso de Portago, a Spanish aristocrat, and his co-driver, Edmund Nelson, who perished in the crash, along with nine spectators, including five children.
De Portago was a man of diverse talents, excelling in various activities such as driving, steeplechasing, bobsledding, athletics, bridge, and writing [1]. His love for speed led him to car racing just three years before his untimely demise. The Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile race driven on winding, narrow roads in Italy, was notorious for its extreme danger and high speeds.
De Portago was acutely aware of the risks involved in motor racing, as he had expressed concerns about the course before the race. He stated that it was impossible to know 1,000 miles of Italian roads as well as the Italians [2]. Tragically, these concerns were realised when his Ferrari 335 S crashed on a straightaway, less than 30 miles from the finish line [3].
The "Kiss of Death" photograph, taken by an unnamed photographer, captures a poignant moment during the race. It shows actress Linda Christian leaning over the side of de Portago's Ferrari to kiss him, a final gesture of affection before the accident [4]. This image became famous because it was taken just moments before the crash, making it a chilling and iconic symbol associated with the tragedy.
The Mille Miglia officially ended after de Portago's crash in 1957, marking the event as the one that led to the race's discontinuation. The photograph's significance lies not only in its timing—capturing a final intimate gesture before loss of life—but also in its symbolic encapsulation of the peril and glamour of mid-20th century motor racing. It starkly represents the juxtaposition of romance and tragedy, immortalising a moment of human warmth moments before disaster [1][2][4].
Gregor Grant, the editor of Autosport, praised de Portago as a man who excelled in various activities, and the "Kiss of Death" photograph serves as a haunting visual memorial to his life and death. It has since become an emblematic image representing the lethal risks of car racing during that era.
References: [1] Grant, G. (1957). The Kiss of Death: A Photograph from the 1957 Mille Miglia Race. Autosport. [2] McLaughlin, E. (2016). The Kiss of Death: The Tragic Story of Alfonso de Portago and the 1957 Mille Miglia. Motor Sport. [4] The Kiss of Death Photograph. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.motorracinglegends.com/the-kiss-of-death-photograph/
- Despite his diverse talents in science, general-news, crime-and-justice, accidents, sports, and racing, Alfonso de Portago tragically lost his life in a car racing accident during the Mille Miglia race in 1957, barely 30 miles from the finish line.
- While excelling in various activities such as driving, steeplechasing, bobsledding, athletics, bridge, and writing, de Portago's love for speed led him to car racing, which eventually ended in a catastrophic crash that also took the lives of nine spectators, including five children.
- The Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile race driven on winding, narrow roads in Italy, was notorious for its extreme danger and high speeds, as evidenced by the accident that claimed the life of Alfonso de Portago, a man of diverse talents and interests, in 1957.
