1955-1956 BANDINI 750/1000 SPORT SILURO

Unregistered
CSAI passport
Chassis n° 035
Engine n°035

- Radical form and design, the purest Italian styling of this period
- Could be the chassis that participated in the 1955 Mille Miglia
- Superb condition

For the 1955 Mille Miglia, Ilario Bandini rented a 750 Sport Siluro to the Marquis of Bologna, Marchese Rusconi, and the co-pilot was none other than Bandini’s mechanic, Vanni Sintoni. The race started well
for car number 038 and the two men found themselves leading their class, before an unfortunate incident in Florence, described by Sintoni : «It was madness. Not mine but the driver’s. He was determined to refuel, and I was against this as we had enough to get to Bologna. However, he went ahead and put 10 litres in and
a good part of it overflowed so that when we restarted, the car caught fire and was destroyed. What a shame ! This happened in front of everyone !» The wreckage was brought back to Forli and, according to Dino Bandini, was restored at the start of the 1980s by Ilario Bandini, and fitted with a 1000cc engine (an adaptation of the 750 with "roof" shaped head, distinguished by its right- hand exhaust). According to Dino Bandini and the information he gathered from his uncle, no other car had been rebuilt from an example that had been burnt, suggesting that this could be the Bandini Sport Siluro from the 1955 Mille Miglia.
However, this car is also accompanied by a copy of an old «libretto» in the name of Ilario Bandini, with chassis and engine numbered 035, and registration number FO18210 dated 16 April 1956, recording as having a 1000cc engine. In addition, a certificate dated 1990 from the Commissione Sportiva Automobilistica Italiana (CSAI) indicates 1956 as the year of production and specifies that the car had been used in various events in 1956-1957-1958-1959. According to these documents, our car would have been repaired immediately after the fire and registered to use, after the 1955 Mille Miglia.
Either way, it sold in the 1980s to Dr R, a dental surgeon from Radicondoli, near Siena. It was from this gentleman that Dino Bandini acquired the car in August 1997, as confirmed by a sales document handwritten by Dr R. Dino Bandini has said that, when he bought it, the Siluro was installed in the living room of the dentist who used to sit in the car with his wife and watch television...
This superb Siluro 1000, dainty and lightweight, with its specific tubular chassis, twin-cam Bandini engine and aluminium body, boasts all the ingredients of the best Italian racing barchettas of the 1950s. It represents a rare opportunity to own a piece of history from motor racing’s finest years.

Photo © Peter Singhof

The auction of this lot will take place on Friday 18 March 2022.
https://www.artcurial.com/fr/lot-1955-1956-bandini-7501000-sport-siluro-no-reserve-4134-144