The Loreto Fangio and Herminia Deramo spouses, highly in love to each other and also very young, since he was 19 and she 17, went to live to the countryside, where Mr. Loreto began working as a mason. Meticulously controlling his expenses, he started saving money, a healthy and strong national currency at that time, and little by little he made his family grow. The Fangios came one after another, i.e. first was born José, then came Herminia and afterwards Carmen, Juan Manuel and Celia, to finally arrive Rubén "Toto"(father to Juanmanuelito, who over time would become bi-champion in the United States, under the IMSA series with Toyota.) On its turn, the house built by Mr. Loreto began enlarging with the foundations of a well constituted and estimated household.

At six, Juan Manuel started going to school, where he learned what the unyielding teachers of those times taught to him, i.e. as much as they were able to, without timetables, trying that their pupils may know more than them. At eleven he already worked as an apprentice with an ironworker, to later leave the anvil and begin working with a mechanic workshop, which would enable to start being acquainted with the "infernal machines" from overseas and with all of the advances that had come with them. He washed their parts, watched what each part was for, and looked once and again into their engines being assembled.

Satisfactions began to come. His had his first contentment in 1940, i.e. the 9,445 kilometre-long Northern International Grand Prix, which he run on a Chevrolet in 109 hours. This race between Buenos Aires, through the Andean Range, and Lima (Peru), and back again to Buenos Aires, took-up almost two weeks with daily legs. The repairs were performed by driver and co-driver at the end of each exhausting leg. Many victories followed, on these modified American cars, which led to create a persistent trademarks’ irritated rivalry, i.e. "Ford or Chevrolet?," then headed by Oscar Gálvez and Juan Manuel Fangio, respectively. What appeared to be a passionate argument between two great men was the start of a friendship that extended to the end of their lives and that surely is still in force, beyond this world.

His friends’ efforts and devotion had already been compensated by his having consecrated himself twice road champion in the years 1940 and 1941, after which, some months later, war would come. Rationalization and lack of tyres led to suspend the races, which compelled to keep the racing cars and all of the crazy adventures on the dusty roads in archives. It was then that Fangio provided some berth for his other field, i.e. business, which he ran so successfully as car racing. He purchased and sold trucks and also second-hand tyres (as import had been closed, you should manage with the elements available.) He visited different towns in his province and managed accomplishing some "feats" that made him highly renowned and respected for his honesty and truthfulness in business. He forgot his mechanic workshop, and felt melancholy for races, eager for struggle and victories to which he would return as soon as the first signal appeared.

And the signal came, the senseless war had come to an end and men were going back for reconstruction. The Automóvil Club Argentino saw the possibility to organize the international seasons for special cars - now known as Formula 1- with the old great drivers worldwide and the Argentine drivers who were looking in amazement at the fabulous jewels that came to the country, on which they had heard so many comments. Until the magic February 6, 1949 arrived, when Oscar Gálvez, driving an Alfa Romeo under a torrential rainfall on the Costanera circuit, set the foundation stone for Argentinean victories. Soon afterwards it was Fangio on a Maserati that also first saw the chequered flag and then the decision was made to proceed beyond the Atlantic ocean.

As supported by the national government, he arrived in Europe to carry his racing on, with a statement that would then become a famous pet phrase "if only I could win once...!"  Without imagining, even, that his wish would be largely satisfied, as in that year, at 37, he accomplished regular successes in the European circuits, which -with his seven victories- might be well have been considered as just another championship, if disputed.

In 1950 they gave him an Alfa Romeo to drive. Struggling with Nino Farina, his team-mate, he ended as world sub champion, but the seed has already been sown and it would yield excellent fruit. The subsequent year saw Fangio win the first of his five champion's titles, on the 159 Alfa Romeo, where he developed his key move at Pedralbes Catalonian circuit, at the sight of the impressive City of Barcelona, which ended with a remarkable triumph of the "chueco" after a sensational strategic move on the part of Alfa Romeo's engineers upon the quicker and less fuel-consuming Ferraris. Departing from behind the grid, he put his car in the wrong gear and the Maserati he was driving hit onto the kerb and skidded at large.