From Sicily to Success: The Joe Nastasi Story Part 2

In Part I, a young Joe Nastasi grows up in Sicily, addicted to cars and speed. After a two year stint in the Italian Navy, he is ready to move on. Ironically, he finds his true calling not in Italy, but in the United States. (Read Part I)

Fresh off the boat

The newly-married but seasick couple arrived in New York, on the Queen Ann Maria on Friday May 8th, 1971. (It’s one of those dates one just does not forget). By that Monday Joe hit the pavement looking for a job. Amazingly, two blocks down the street, he saw a Fiat agency, walked in and was hired immediately–the owner was from Calabria, Italy.

Two weeks later, Joe had bigger ambitions, and he went into Manhattan to look for another shop, called Modena Sports Cars. The owners, Alberto Pedretti and Alfredo Ciati were from Modena and they worked on Ferraris and were importers for Lamborghinis. “I had no experience with Ferraris or Lamborghinis–in Sicily the only time one even saw them was at the Targa. But I knew that’s what I wanted to do–work on Ferraris. I offered to go to work for them for nothing.”

Pedretti was impressed and although he didn’t need another mechanic, he understood what Nastasi was going through and hired him anyway. Two weeks after arriving in America, Joe Nastasi found himself working on his dream cars. And he was good.

So good, in fact, Pedretti was loath to pay him what he was worth, and the lure of his own business was still very strong. After almost two years with Modena, Nastasi left and started “Milazzo Racing Car Corporation in Brooklyn. It was not easy going. “I soon found out that in winter no one uses their sports cars, so business was tough, very tough, for a few years.” Business picked up though, when Nastasi started buying used Ferraris and Maseratis in Italy, bringing them back and doubling his money. Despite a few setbacks, Milazzo Racing Corporation survived and by 1980, was prospering.

Ambition finds a home

Like many entrepreneurs, Nastasi also became aware of a need in the marketplace and was able to fill that gap. While importing used Ferraris and other exotics in the early 1970s, it was becoming obvious that if this was to continue with post-1968 cars, they would have to be ‘federalized’–made legal for the new USA DOT and EPA requirements. “Others tried, but either they went nuts or bankrupt.” Joe’s mechanical ability and get it done attitude made it possible for him to make a success out of converting Lamborghinis to meet the new specs. To do that, Nastasi bought a laboratory from his old employer Alfredo Ciati, and learned everything about DOT and EPA requirements. “There was a ton of paperwork, the cars had to be analyzed, driven, tested, and complete notes made of every detail. And in addition to the emissions, we had to make the body and chassis conform to the constantly changing rules. The grey market was known to have a few unscrupulous shops, but Joe played by the book. DOT employee and co-author of the book “Ferrari, The Sports and Gran Turismo Cars” Dick Merritt worked with Nastasi in those difficult days for importers. “Joe was always extremely knowledgeable and great do deal with. He knew how to manipulate the system but did everything right.”

The grey market work on Lamborghinis was rewarded with a distributorship in 1985, called Lamborghini East. Joe took in about 75% of Lamborghini’s total production, and a full 50% of the US market. Business boomed, and fortunes made. Nastasi was quick to realize that the small firm from Sant’ Agata was about to be sold again, this time to Chrysler. With Lamborghini owner Jean Claude Mimran, Nastasi took part in the negotiations with the US company, flying back and forth to Mimran’s home in Monte Carlo. Finally, in 1987, the negotiations succeeded, and Chrysler found itself in the exotic car market.

And that is how Joe Nastasi of Malazzo Sicily, met another Italian-American with a Horatio Alger story, Lee Iacocca. Nastasi stayed on with Lamborghini as a consultant until 1990. “Lamborghini insisted we move the headquarters from nearby New Jersey to Jacksonville, Florida, and I refused to move.” It was again time to move on, to other, less automotive-oriented ventures.

In the mid-1980s, Nastasi expanded his collection of Alfa Tipo 33s. His first, a Tipo33/2, was purchased in the late 1970s with the intention to race it, but was soon overshadowed by a foray into Formula Atlantic with a March. As expected, his passion for racing had not dimmed and he earned an SCCA regional championship with the car in 1981.

Nastasi also gathered up a 1971 Stradale coupe, a 1977 World Sportscar Championship T33/SC/12, a 1972 T33/TT/3, and the 1969 T33/3. Another addition to Nastasi Racing was the ex-Jackie Ickx t33/tt/12, owned jointly by Nastasi and West Coast vintage racer Tom Hollfelder. Then of course there was the 33TT Stradale, which can be read about in this edition of VeloceToday. Joe still has it and it is called the “Berlinetta Stradale Giro D’Italia” to be precise.

In 2005, Joe Nastasi, the wild, speed crazy kid from Messina, returned to his homeland to build a vacation home overlooking the Mediterranean. It will, of course, house over 15 cars. Nothing like coming home in grand style.