Vehicle Description
As a young boy growing up in Italy's Emelia-Romagna region, Ilario
Bandini was a tinkerer who seemed predestined to life in
motorsports. After finishing primary school, Bandini served as an
apprentice mechanic, learning the art and science of chassis and
engine tuning. In his twenties, he operated a successful transport
business in the Italian colony of Eritrea before returning to Italy
in 1939 to follow his passion and open a garage. Concurrently,
Bandini began his racing career on motorbikes before switching to
cars. He raced in the 1940 Mille Miglia in a tuned Fiat 1100
Balilla, which eventually served as the basis for the first proper
Bandini automobile in 1946. Ilario disassembled his Fiat 1100
before the war to hide it from the Germans, later reassembling it
with a modified tubular chassis, revised suspension, a tuned 1100
cc engine, and rakish lightweight coachwork by Carrozzeria Rocco
Motto. He resumed his racing career with the newly christened
Bandini 1100, which proved to be a quick and attractive racing car.
Following the adage of "race on Sunday, sell on Monday," Bandini
soon received orders from privateers, and his business took off. In
the early '50s, an Italian-American car importer/dealer named Tony
Pompeo sent some American Crosley 750cc racing engines to Italy for
these small constructors to use in their new cars. The Italians
loved the Crosley engine (originally used in PT boats) for its
reliability and overbuilt, Bentley-like design with 5 main
bearings, compared to Fiat's 3. At this time, Bandini focused
primarily on the Mille Miglia, in hopes of winning the prized
750-cc class that was so hotly contested by the likes of Siata,
Giaur, Stanguellini, Moretti, Nardi and others. Bandini's new
sports racing car was the Siluro ("Torpedeo"), built on a tubular
spaceframe chassis (made using wing struts from a nearby airplane
manufacturer), modified Crosley 750-cc engines, and hand-hammered
aluminum bodies by the legendary Rocco Motto. The initial four cars
featured delicate cycle fenders all around. As Crosley outclassed
Fiat, Bandini and others fully embraced the tiny American engine.
Ilario even developed a gear-driven DOHC head for the Crosley
aluminum block, first used in 1954. The combination was a hit, and
the jewel-like Bandini racers were often found at the sharp end of
the field in SCCA sub-two-liter classes, including F-Modified and
the perennially popular H-Modified where a Bandini Crosley won the
National Championship in 1955 and 1957. It was only when the
invasion of rear-engine British cars arrived did Bandini struggle,
and after about 80 cars, the marque gradually declined through the
1960s, although Ilario continued to build racing cars off and on,
well into the 1980s. Offered here is a beautiful and evocative 1951
Bandini 750, wearing a version of the iconic sports racer body
created by Bill Devin. This particular Bandini began life as a 750
Siluro Crosley bodied with alloy torpedo coachwork by Carrozzeria
Motto. It is a marvelous example of ItalianEtceteriniwith rich
racing history in the Midwest and beyond. According to information
compiled from previous owners, this car was delivered to Chuck
Hassan in early 1952, fitted with a 750 Crosley fed by twin
Dell'Orto carburetors. Its maiden outing was the 1952 Vero Beach
races, where it took 1st in class in the 6-hour enduro, winning the
Index of Performance. The race was a warmup for the 12 hours of
Sebring the following week, where Hassan teamed up with his mate
Beau Clark. The diminutive Bandini led its class until a mechanical
failure ended their run in a DNF. Hassan and his Bandini ran the
remainder of the '52 season, managing another class win at Turner
AFB. After the 1952 season, Hassan sold the Bandini Siluro to James
Riley of Indianapolis, who raced it a handful of times, winning the
H-Mod race at MacDill AFB in Florida. The featherweight Bandini
continued its successful run through 1953. Riley then sold the car
to his racing buddy Sandy MacArthur in 1954, winning class honors
and proving consistent enough to tie for 6th place in the SCCA
H-Mod National Championship MacArthur racked up even more success,
which he recalled in an entertaining letter included in the history
file. Ahead of the 1955 Sebring 12 Hours, the Crosley was yanked in
favor of a Kiekhaefer Mercury outboard engine. The nimble
Bandini/Mercury was fast, but the Fiat-based gearbox erupted in
protest, knocking it out of the lead in the Index of Performance.
After the race, MacArthur sold the Bandini to his longtime friend
and mechanic, Mr. Clair "Sonny" Reuter of Wheaton, Illinois. Mr.
Reuter replaced the marine engine with a proper Crosley 750, but
the original light-alloy body was battle-scarred and tired by that
time. Clair purchased a slick new lightweight fiberglass Barchetta
body from Devin and adapted it to the Bandini chassis. He raced a
handful of times in the 1958 season before tucking it away in the
basement garage as family life took precedent over racing. There it
sat in Reuter's garage for the next 50 years. Shortly before his
passing in 2006, his daughter reached out to experts for help with
the Bandini. They eventually connected her to a lifelong car
collector, Bandini enthusiast, and connoisseur of all
thingsEtceterini, who agreed to rescue the car and preserve its
rich history. In its current ownership, the Bandini-Devin received
a sympathetic refurbishment, returning it to a period-correct
condition as possible. Marque expert Jerry Greaves rebuilt the
Crosley engine, and the owners restored the chassis and lightweight
fiberglass body. It rides on proper 15 x 2.75 64 spoke Borrani
wheels with period Pirelli Stelvio tires and includes the original
steering wheel etc. The current owner was even able to save
portions of the original Motto body, which Reuter stashed behind
his garage in the late 50s. It is well presented and suitable for
racing with groups like the VSCCA or for pre-57 rallies. The
current owner painstakingly researched the provenance of this
remarkable and unique Bandini-Devin, and the accompanying history
file includes the following: Extensive period photographs
(including a shot of it towed by the Bosley Mk1 GT!) A letter from
Sandy MacArthur Detailed Race history An extraordinary collection
of original race programs and dash plaques from many of the events
in which the Bandini competed. A preview of photos and files are
available here:
https://hymanltd.com/1952-bandini-750-siluro-devin-monza-history/
The Bandini-Devin is a truly delightful and historically
significant racer, with a rich, fascinating story forged in the
golden era of American sports car racing. Please note that this
vehicle is titled as a 1949 Offers welcome and trades considered
For additional details please view this listing directly on our
website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6873-1951-bandini-750-siluro-devin-monza/
