Bandini Automobili

History

Bandini was founded in 1946 in Forlì. The first Bandini, the Prima, used a modified Fiat 1100 engine; its body was made from aluminium and its chassis was based on a Fiat 1100 that Bandini had hidden from the Germans during World War II. Following on from this, Bandini made the 1100 Sport and the 1100 Siluro. It was the Siluro that gave them their first race victory in the Giro dell'Umbria (not to be confused with the bicycle race of the same name). The chassis for these were built from tubular steel.

American importers, Tony Pompeo (originally from Pescara) and Perry Fina, took an interest in Bandinis and imported a Siluro. The Italian racing driver Giovanni Bracco went over to the States to promote the cars. At the suggestion of Pompeo Bandini began to put 724 cc Crosley engines in the Siluro so that they could compete in H modified racing events. The modified Siluros won SCCA class championships in 1955 and 1957. In 1957 Bandini made the Sport International "Saponetta". It was a two-seat sports car with a tubular steel frame and room for engines of up to 1.0 litre. Bandini nicknamed the car "Saponetta" (little soap) because of its rounded, smooth shape. The Formula 3 car of 1954 had disc brakes on all four wheels, copying the 1951 C-type Jaguar. The Zagato bodied Bandini GT raced in Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. The coupé made by the coachbuilder Corna had a 1000 cc engine mounted in the front.

The company was later revived in the 21st century by Michele Bandini, great grandson of Ilario Bandini. Bandini partnered with GFG Style, a company founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio Giugiaro. GFG Style revealed the Bandini Dora Concept in 2020, a roofless, two-seater electric hypercar featuring two electric motors producing a combined power output of 536 bhp and 500 lb ft of torque.

Racing history

The company's owner, Ilario Bandini, divided his time between design and manufacturing of the cars, and as a race driver. He entered and drove Bandinis in more than 60 races, including both hillclimb events and track racing, among them the Mille Miglia from 1947 until 1965, achieving 19 first-place finishes and 18 podiums in the 750 cc and 1000 cc classes. In 1953 a 750 Siluro driven by Massimo Bondi won the Trofeo Franco Mazzotti on the Mille Miglia.

In the United States, a Bandini 750 Siluro driven by Dolph Vilradi won the SCCA HM class championship in 1955. In 1957, Melvin Sachs won the HM class, one of five Bandinis in the first ten positions. These successes resulted in Ilario being presented with the Gold Key of Daytona and later, in 1981, the Laurea H.C. award in mechanical engineering from Pro Deo University of New York. In 1959 he produced a Formula Junior that achieved considerable competition success. Bandinis won SCCA Class HMod races into the mid-1960s. A Bandini Siluro won the SCCA Southwest Regional Championship from 1961–1963 and the Saponetta took 3rd place in the National HMod class in 1961. Bandini continued to make one-off cars into the 1980s.

"La prima" 1100/46 (1946). Made from a modified Fiat 1100 chassis. The suspension used components from a Gilera motorcycle with torsion bar independent front suspension and independent rear suspension, inboard brakes, and a two-seater aluminium sports car body made by Rocco Motto.

1100 sport (1947–50). Designed for road use. The chassis for both this and the Siluro was made from aircraft grade materials with assistance from Caproni.

1100 siluro (1947–49). This two seater was designed as a track car. It had cycle wings.

750 sport siluro (1950–56). A 724cc Crosley engine - bored out to 747cc and fitted with a Bandini twin cam head for racing primarily in the United States.