Automobili Stanguellini
Encyclopedia
Automobili Stanguellini was a maker of small sports cars in Modena
, Italy
, founded by Vittorio Stanguellini and most active between 1946 and 1960. They continued to produce the odd competition car until 1966.
agency.
Vittorio Stanguellini began tuning and modifying Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Fiat cars for racing. He was a friendly rival of Enzo Ferrari in Modena beginning in the late 1920s. Vittorio then formed Squadra Corse Stanuellini in 1938 and quickly found success when he modified a Maserati 6CM which took the overall victory at the 1938 Targa Florio.
events, minor and major (such as the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans
) alike. Building on having tuned Fiats in the pre-war days, and having raced them under the Squadra Stanguellini flag, the small racers were based on Fiat
components. Focusing on the 750 & 1100 cc classes (winning numerous National victories), Stanguellini sports cars were beautifully engineered cars with light-alloy cylinder blocks, twin overhead camshafts (bialbero) and dual side-draught Weber carburettors. This would add up to a claimed 60 bhp at 7500 rpm from the 741 cc sports engine and 90 bhp at 7000 rpm from the larger engine, providing top speeds of around 180 km/h (111.8 mph) and 190 km/h (118.1 mph) respectively.
Unlike many other of the so-called "Etceterinis", Stanguellini were loath to use foreign parts, instead relying on Fiat as much as possible. Bodywork was usually by local Carrozzeria Reggiano.
Vittorio Stanguellini tried very hard to gain a class win at the 24 hours of Le Mans. However, with his limited resources, he never was able to achieve this. His best finish was a fourth in class.
purchased a 750cc twin-cam car which he raced in the United States, along with a Stanguellini Formula Junior (See below).
750cc class wins in 1938 & 1940 Also, a 1100cc class win in 1940
Targa Florio
750cc class wins in 1938 & 1952
A 12 Hours of Sebring
class win in 1957
A Stanguellini won the Vanderbilt Cup
in 1960 at the Roosevelt Raceway, New York. The Vanderbilt Cup was run as a Formula Junior race in 1960.
was offered, using familiar Fiat 1100TV parts in a tubular chassis. This was also offered with a 1,500 cc engine. A Fiat 750-based two-seater was offered up the following year.
in 1963.
, a category under Formula One
that existed between 1958 and 1963. Stanguellini won the first season of the Italian Formula Junior championship, and "famous drivers like Bandini
and von Trips won their first races in Stanguellinis." Walt Hansgen
won the FJ race at the inaugural United States Grand Prix meeting at Sebring, Florida, on December 12, 1959, driving a Stanguellini.
More than 100 Formula Juniors were built by Stanguellini. However, with the arrival of British mid-engined racers like the Cooper and Lotus
, the days of the Fiat 1100-based, front-engined racers were over. After 1966, the Stanguellini family concentrated their efforts on tuning equipment and subcontract design, while also running their Modena Fiat dealership.
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, founded by Vittorio Stanguellini and most active between 1946 and 1960. They continued to produce the odd competition car until 1966.
History
The Stanguellini family has had a long involvement with the motor car. Vittorio's grandfather founded an engineering company in 1879, and his father was the first one in Modena to register a car (in 1910, registration "MO 1"). "By the time Vittorio took over, in 1929, the family business included a FiatFiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
agency.
Vittorio Stanguellini began tuning and modifying Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Fiat cars for racing. He was a friendly rival of Enzo Ferrari in Modena beginning in the late 1920s. Vittorio then formed Squadra Corse Stanuellini in 1938 and quickly found success when he modified a Maserati 6CM which took the overall victory at the 1938 Targa Florio.
Racing
Stanguellini's cars competed in countless sports car racingSports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
events, minor and major (such as the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans
1957 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 25th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 22 and 23 1957. It was also the fifth round of the World Sportscar Championship.-Official results:-Did Not Finish:-Statistics:...
) alike. Building on having tuned Fiats in the pre-war days, and having raced them under the Squadra Stanguellini flag, the small racers were based on Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
components. Focusing on the 750 & 1100 cc classes (winning numerous National victories), Stanguellini sports cars were beautifully engineered cars with light-alloy cylinder blocks, twin overhead camshafts (bialbero) and dual side-draught Weber carburettors. This would add up to a claimed 60 bhp at 7500 rpm from the 741 cc sports engine and 90 bhp at 7000 rpm from the larger engine, providing top speeds of around 180 km/h (111.8 mph) and 190 km/h (118.1 mph) respectively.
Unlike many other of the so-called "Etceterinis", Stanguellini were loath to use foreign parts, instead relying on Fiat as much as possible. Bodywork was usually by local Carrozzeria Reggiano.
Vittorio Stanguellini tried very hard to gain a class win at the 24 hours of Le Mans. However, with his limited resources, he never was able to achieve this. His best finish was a fourth in class.
The Stanguellini 750cc Racing Engine
Vittorio Stanguellini had been making special aluminum twin-cam cylinder heads for the Fiat 1100 block since 1947. However, in 1950 he finished his most ambitious project: a complete 750cc racing engine - designed from a clean sheet of paper by Oberdan Golfieri, an engineer from Romagna, Italy. This was a light weight 9000 rpm engine based on a specially cast aluminum block and heads. Stanguellini racing cars achieved extraordinary success world-wide with this engine in the 1950s, including numerous national championships in Italy and France. Briggs CunninghamBriggs Cunningham
Briggs Swift Cunningham II was an American entrepreneur and sportsman, who raced automobiles and yachts. Born into a wealthy family, he became a racing car constructor, driver, and team owner as well as a sports car manufacturer and automobile collector.He skippered the victorious yacht Columbia...
purchased a 750cc twin-cam car which he raced in the United States, along with a Stanguellini Formula Junior (See below).
Stanguellini - Major Race Wins
Mille MigliaMille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
750cc class wins in 1938 & 1940 Also, a 1100cc class win in 1940
Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
750cc class wins in 1938 & 1952
A 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
class win in 1957
A Stanguellini won the Vanderbilt Cup
Vanderbilt Cup
The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...
in 1960 at the Roosevelt Raceway, New York. The Vanderbilt Cup was run as a Formula Junior race in 1960.
Road Cars
In 1947, a Bertone bodied four-seat berlinettaBerlinetta
Berlinetta is an especially sporty form of coupé. Typically a two-seater, the type may include 2+2s.The real meaning for berlinetta in Italian is "little saloon".Introduced in the 1930s, the term was popularized by Ferrari in the 1950s...
was offered, using familiar Fiat 1100TV parts in a tubular chassis. This was also offered with a 1,500 cc engine. A Fiat 750-based two-seater was offered up the following year.
World Speed Records
In 1963, Stanguellini completed a streamliner called the "Colibri", powered by a 250cc Moto Guzzi motorcycle racing engine. This car set six international speed records at the Autodromo Nazionale MonzaAutodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
in 1963.
Formula Junior
Stanguellini single-seaters, "scaled-down lookalikes of the famous Maserati 250F" powered by Fiat 1100 engines, were competitive in Formula JuniorFormula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI . The class was intended to provide an entry level class where you could use inexpensive mechanical components from ordinary automobiles...
, a category under Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
that existed between 1958 and 1963. Stanguellini won the first season of the Italian Formula Junior championship, and "famous drivers like Bandini
Lorenzo Bandini
Lorenzo Bandini was an Italian motor racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Scuderia Centro Sud and Ferrari teams.-Career:...
and von Trips won their first races in Stanguellinis." Walt Hansgen
Walt Hansgen
Walt Hansgen was a racecar driver from the United States. His racing career began as a road racing driver...
won the FJ race at the inaugural United States Grand Prix meeting at Sebring, Florida, on December 12, 1959, driving a Stanguellini.
More than 100 Formula Juniors were built by Stanguellini. However, with the arrival of British mid-engined racers like the Cooper and Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
, the days of the Fiat 1100-based, front-engined racers were over. After 1966, the Stanguellini family concentrated their efforts on tuning equipment and subcontract design, while also running their Modena Fiat dealership.