Piero Dusio (13 October 1899 – 7 November 1975) was an Italian footballer, businessman, racing driver and racing car manufacturer.

Biography

Football career

Dusio was born in Scurzolengo, province of Asti, in Piedmont. A promising footballer, he played as a midfielder and made three appearances for Juventus in 1921–22. After his football career ended due to a knee injury, Dusio started a textile business which expanded into manufacturing sport equipment and supplying military uniforms. His association with football continued in a managerial role. In 1941 he founded Juventus Organizzazione Sportiva Anonima (O.S.A.), an organization he ran until 1943. In 1942 Dusio was appointed president of Juventus. He resigned from the post in 1948 to move to Argentina.

Racing career

In 1929 Dusio made his racing debut at the Mille Miglia. He would compete until 1938, his best results being a class victory in a Siata 500cc in 1937. In 1936 he established the Scuderia Torino and took part in the 1936 Italian Grand Prix at the wheel of a Maserati 6C-34, finishing sixth behind Bernd Rosemeyer, Tazio Nuvolari, Ernst von Delius, René Dreyfus and Carlo Pintacuda.

Team owner

In 1944, at the end of World War II, Dusio switched his focus to his racing team. He commissioned Dante Giacosa of Fiat to develop a racing car and founded the "Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia", later known as Cisitalia. The team's collaborators included Carlo Abarth, Rudolf Hruska and Ferry Porsche. Three D46's topped the Coppa Brezzi (a race held together with the 1946 Turin Grand Prix), with Dusio finishing 1st.

Dusio continued financing his racing car projects, but the expenses in engineering the complex 202MM almost bankrupted Cisitalia in 1947. Consequently, Dusio moved to Argentina and established Autoar (Automotores Argentinos) S.A.I.C. (22 March 1949), an enterprise financially supported by Juan Peron. Aldo Brovarone joined Dusio in Argentina to work for the company. Dusio's son, Carlo, stayed in Turin to restructure Cisitalia, and ran the company with his father until 1964. In 1960 Dusio started Cisitalia Argentina Industrial y Comercial SA in Buenos Aires, where he built cars such as the Cisitalia 750 (1960).

Dusio tried to qualify for one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix (Italy 1952) with a Cisitalia D46, but failed to set a time in practice due to engine problems.

He died in Buenos Aires in 1975.