Italian F1 racer Elio de Angelis was born on this day in 1958.
The son of a wealthy Roman businessman, Elio was a refined and highly cultured young man which was a rather unusual profile for an F1 driver at the time.
Charming and genuine, he was as gifted behind the wheel of a racing car as he was sitting at a Steinway piano playing Mozart.
His family's financial backing brought him into Formula 1 but his unquestionable talent kept him there, the Italian collecting two Grand Prix wins with Lotus before his tragic death while testing the low-line Brabham (pictured hereunder) at Paul Ricard in 1986.
