Model：Ferrari 553 F1 1954 Mike Hawthorn Scuderia Ferrari #38

Brand：Hachette

Scale：1/43

3rd, 1954 FIA Formula 1 World Championship

Mike Hawthorn (UK)

Team: Scuderia Ferrari

1st, Spanish Grand Prix - Pedralbes

The Ferrari 553 F1 was one of Ferrari’s important new-generation Grand Prix cars, introduced for the 1954 Formula 1 season around a compact 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine. Nicknamed the “Squalo” (Shark), its distinctive design and rear-mounted fuel tanks marked Ferrari’s move toward a more modern approach to Grand Prix racing.

For British driver Mike Hawthorn, 1954 was his first full season as a works Ferrari driver. He quickly established himself among the leading contenders, scoring a strong second place at the British Grand Prix and again at the Nürburgring, where he shared a Ferrari with José Froilán González.  

Hawthorn drove the 553 at the French Grand Prix, where an engine failure ended his race, before Ferrari increasingly relied on the 625 F1 during the middle part of the season. The 553 returned to the forefront at the Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes on 24 October 1954, where Hawthorn qualified third and drove the #38 Ferrari to a superb victory, finishing more than a minute ahead of Luigi Musso’s Maserati and a full lap ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio’s Mercedes-Benz.  

That victory was Hawthorn’s second World Championship Grand Prix win and provided a fitting conclusion to an impressive first full season with Ferrari. He finished third in the 1954 World Championship standings, behind Fangio and González, establishing himself as one of the great young talents of the era.

This model therefore represents much more than a beautiful Ferrari racing car — it captures Mike Hawthorn’s first full season with Scuderia Ferrari and the 553’s memorable final appearance of 1954, culminating in victory at Pedralbes.

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