Jon Saltinstall With Lella's 1973 Brands Hatch Ford Escort Mexico

Transport Torque: Lella Lombardi – The Tigress of Turin. An Evening With Jon Saltinstall

Join us at the National Motor Museum for a fascinating evening with award-winning motorsport author Jon Saltinstall, as he tells the remarkable story of Lella Lombardi, “The Tigress of Turin”.

Location: National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire
Date: 22 October 2026
Time: 7pm - 9pm

Lella Lombardi is best remembered as the only woman to have scored points in a Formula 1 World Championship race – a ground breaking achievement that has secured her place in motorsport history. But there was far more to Lella’s career than that one statistic.

A self-taught driver, Lella was an Italian National Champion in Formula 850 and Ford Escort Mexico saloon cars, a front-runner in Formula 5000 and a successful international sportscar racer. She later became a regular class winner with Alfa Romeo in the European Touring Car Championship.

Fiercely competitive and determined, Lella never sought to use her gender to promote her career. Instead, she allowed her achievements on the track to speak for themselves.

Jon Saltinstall has spent years researching the lives and careers of some of motorsport’s most fascinating figures. His previous books include Niki Lauda: His Competition History, which was shortlisted for the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Award, and Jacky Ickx: His Authorised Competition History, which won the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Suzuki Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy.

His latest book, Lella Lombardi – The Tigress of Turin, is the first complete biography of this pioneering racing driver and draws on the recollections of more than 100 people who knew, worked with or raced alongside Lella.

Featuring almost 300 photographs, many previously unpublished, the book offers a unique insight into the life and career of one of motorsport’s most enigmatic and ground breaking competitors.

Hear Jon Saltinstall share the story behind the book, his research into Lella’s extraordinary career and the woman behind the famous Formula 1 statistic.

Join us for Transport Torque at the National Motor Museum on Thursday 22 October 2026 at 7:00pm.

Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the remarkable story of Lella Lombardi – The Tigress of Turin

Tickets £15 (£7.50 for Friends of the National Motor Museum)

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