Rodolfo Junco De La Vega, Jr. April 12, 1922 - October 6, 2020
Cathy Roush
Volume 45 Issue 24
Nov 22, 2020
Rodolfo Junco De La Vega, friend of the FML will be missed
Since the 1920s the Junco de la Vega family has been involved in the media business.
Grupo Reforma is one of the most important print media companies in Mexico. It is responsible for publishing objective newspapers in the largest cities in the country such as Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. Junco de la Vega directed Editora El Sol between 1943 and 1973, which at that time published the newspapers El Norte and El Sol.
Badly stripped of control of the company by his sons in 1973, Don Rodolfo established his residence in San Antonio, Texas, and he began to get involved in real estate, which resulted in a successful career. Later in life he and his wife moved to Jacksonville, FL, so she could be treated at The Mayo Clinic.
Sports cars also occupied much of his time, and he was one of the founders of the Auto Club Valle. He was also the first to bring a shipment of Porsches to the state of Monterrey.
Possessor of a collection valued in millions of dollars, until his last days he could be seen in the workshop doing repairs, he never lost his joviality and the taste for driving, meeting with a group of collector friends and even participating in auto shows, mainly in United States.
One of the earliest subscribers to the FML, he maintained a subscription until last year. He was a friend of my Dad’s; and they would meet for dinner with a large group during the events every August in California.
The consummate Ferrari owner, he owned 212 Inter Ghia Coupe, S/N 0213 EL, for close to 70 years, showing it in 2011 at Cavallino and Amelia Island. He also owned 275 GTS, S/N 7501, over 50 years, showing it in 2013 at Amelia and 2015 at Cavallino.
In a 2014 New York Times article titled “When a Passion for Ferraris Turns Into a Commitment”, Junco de la Vega recounts how he went to the factory in Italy after buying S/N 0213 EL and got permission from Enzo Ferrari to spend time in the shop with the builders so he could learn how to service his own car. He performed all of his own work for years.
That sets the bar for Ferrari ownership.