Number of cylinders: 4
Engine capacity: 747 cc
Manufacturer: Metropole Classics BV Meubellaan 1 6651KV DRUTEN, NL 0031653328817 http://www.metropole.nl [email protected]

Among enthusiasts, this Bandini 750 Sport Internazionale earned an early nickname: "Saponetta", little bar of soap, a reference to the streamlined, smooth contours of the aluminium coachwork that share little with the angular racing cars of the period. The model represented the ultimate competition version of the 750 Sport; after the earlier Siluro versions, Ilario Bandini designed a still more streamlined, wraparound body, entirely in the great tradition of Italian roadsters built for the long straights of the Mille Miglia, and the Bandinis had nothing to be ashamed of against competitors such as Osca, Siata, Stanguellini and sometimes even Maserati. The cars were built by hand in Bandini's workshops by craftsmen who had come from the Caproni aircraft factories.
This particular Bandini 750 Sport Internazionale is one of a total of nine Saponettas built and carried race number 156 at the 1957 Mille Miglia, driven by Carlo Camisotti and Giovanni Sintoni; a second, identical Saponetta bearing race number 137 was driven that same year by Bruno Garavini. Later in 1957 this car also appeared at the start of the 6 Ore di Vallelunga, with Ilario Bandini himself at the wheel, finishing seventh in class, and at the Trento-Bondone hill climb with Massimo Bondi. In the years that followed the car remained active on the Italian racing calendar, taking class and overall wins at events including the Predappio-Rocca delle Camirate, the Autodromo di Modena, Bologna-San Luca and Compiano-Vetto d'Enza, while the engine was progressively enlarged to 850cc and later 1000cc. Ilario Bandini raced the car into the mid 1960s before selling it in the late sixties or early seventies; the car then disappeared without trace until Dino Bandini bought it back in America in 1998. The car was in poor condition at the time, but the original 747cc engine was still supplied with it, making this Saponetta the only one of the two 1957 Mille Miglia entrants to have retained its original engine.
The bialbero engine "Bandini-Crosley" produces 68 brake horsepower at 8,500rpm, built around the characteristic Bandini chassis of oval tubes in special, lightweight, high strength steel, with a dry weight for the bare chassis of just 18 kilograms and a kerb weight of 350 kilograms. Following a thorough restoration, Dino Bandini himself twice took part in the Mille Miglia Storica with this car, in 2002 and 2003. Today the Bandini presents in good condition, both in its aluminium coachwork and its interior, finished in the red livery with black and aluminium leather upholstery in which it was originally delivered. The car is fitted with an ASI plate and an FIA historic passport, and is further accompanied by the original certificate of origin signed by Ilario Bandini himself.
With confirmed participation in the 1957 Mille Miglia, documented under race number 156, this Bandini 750 Sport Internazionale's Mille Miglia eligibility requires no further explanation.
Contact Metropole Classics for further information or to arrange a viewing of this Bandini 750 Sport Internazionale.