VAN HALEN Mechanic CLAUDIO ZAMPOLLI Dead At 82; SAMMY HAGAR Pays Tribute To "Genius Mechanic" Who Connected Him With EDDIE VAN HALEN
July 9, 2021, 2 years ago
Sammy Hagar took to social media to pay tribute to Italian auto engineer Claudio Zampolli, the man who put Hagar in touch with Eddie Van Halen in the mid-'80s following Van Halen's split with David Lee Roth. Zampolli passed away on Wednesday, July 7, at 82 years of age.
Says Hagar: "Claudio Zampolli was a genius mechanic. Especially Italian high-performance engines. He got me my 512 Boxer (the 'I Can’t Drive 55' car), my first new Ferrari, and many more after that. He's the mechanic in the 'I Can't Drive 55' video. He's the guy that gave Eddie Van Halen my phone number where Eddie called me from his shop - two days later I was in Van Halen. He was the whole band's mechanic and took care of all of our cars. He also made his own car the ultra exotic Cizeta.
"I remember pulling up into his garage driveway one time with my Daytona Ferrari that wasn't running well. He heard it coming, stepped out of the office, lifted the hood, and immediately found a spark plug wire that was causing it to run bad. He could hear what was wrong with the car pure fucking genius. Rest in peace my friend."
