Ilario Bandini

Ilario Bandini (1911 to 1992) was an Italian businessman, racing driver and racing car manufacturer from Villa Rovere, near Forli in Romagna. After apprenticing as a mechanic, he ran a transport business in Eritrea and in 1939 opened a garage and car rental service in Forli, where he also began racing. In 1946 he rebuilt a Fiat 1100 with an aluminium body by the Turin coachbuilder Rocco Motto, the first car to carry his name. His light cars used a patented elliptical-section steel tube space frame and, from 1953, bodywork built in house; the Bandini 750 sport siluro, powered by a Crosley-based engine, found success in Italy and in American club racing, and he also built a Formula 3 single seater. His brother Aurelio helped build the cars, and Bandini also worked as an Alfa Romeo and Lancia dealer.