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1947 Bandini Siluro

Sports Racer

The 1947 Bandini Siluro is the second car, and one of four prototypes, built by Ilario Bandini between 1946 and 1949. The chassis is made of air-foil section tubing with a Fiat 1100 front cross-member and a Bandini-created swing-axle independent rear suspension. The engine, gearbox, and brakes are modified Fiat 1100/508. The original wheels were Borrani.

Bandini drove the car in the 1949 Mille Miglia before sending it to Tony Pompeo and Perry Fina in 1950. The car was sold to Dick Gent, who raced it at Watkins Glen in the 1951 Grand Prix. Sheldo Morrill of Baltimore bought the car in 1954 and, in conjunction with Duncan Black, put considerable effort into improving the car's handling.

In 1956, the car was sold to Ed White of Baltimore, and Bill King Jr. purchased the car in 1958 with the intent of SCCA competition. The original engine and rear suspension was discarded. The car sat until 1991 when Bill King III decided to restore it to its original condition. After two years of research and three years of work, the car made its debut on April 28, 1996, in a VSCCA event at Pocono Raceway.

Ilario Bandini was born in 1911, the son of a farmer living in Forli, Italy. Even though he was best remembered as a car builder, he also had a flare for engineering and mechanics. His skills and knowledge led him to create and patent inventions. He is characterized as a short man who had a passion for life that matched his enthusiasm and his excitement.

By the age of 27, having experience working and studying as a mechanic, Bandini began his own company. The era was 1938, and the world was still suffering from the after-shocks of World War II. Many of the manufacturers that had existed before the war were gone, or their factories had been destroyed or converted into creating machinery for military purposes. Bandini began making small vehicles; most were intended for sports and racing. Some were weekend drivers, while others were built specifically for the racing circuit. Bandini favored spiders and coupes. He used Fiat and American Crossley engines which he would modify to increase the overall output and performance. Most were 760 cc through 1300 cc. The engines were originally placed in the front of the vehicles, but this changed when mid-engine design started to become popular. Quickly realizing the benefits of the mid-engine placement, he was one of the first manufacturers to build vehicles in this form.

Many of the vehicles were built to be raced in the 750 cc. class. The vehicles were important and vitalizing the junior league of Italian racing.

As was the case with many European vehicles, they were all handmade. During the height of the Bandini empire, he employed fifteen mechanics, each capable of building one car per month. Throughout his entire car-building career, 75 vehicles were created that carried the Bandini badge.

The Bandini badge design came from the symbol of his hometown. It featured a bantam rooster crowing.

In 1992 he was 81. Having lived a long life, he passed away. At many vintage sporting events, Bandini-built automobiles can still be found. A museum in Forli houses seven examples of the Bandini sports cars.

by Dan Vaughan