1955 BANDINI 750 GT VELOCE ZAGATO

Unregistered
FIVA passport ASI passport
Chassis n° 1001B
Engine n° 1001B

- Unique model, built under the direct supervision of Ilario Bandini
- Unique and supremely elegant bodywork by Zagato
- Racing history in the US
- Eligible for the most prestigious international events

In the mid-1950s, Ilario Bandini wanted to launch a small GT coupé. A certificate of origin dated 11/01/1955 details the technical specification of this ‘Bandini Granturismo Veloce 750cc’, with its chassis no. 1001B made up of elliptical tubes in high-grade steel, weighing just 27kg, and its twin-cam ‘Bandini- Crosley’ engine no. 1001B, fed by two Weber carburettors and developing 67bhp at 7000rpm. The certificate also states that Borrani wheels with 135/80 tyres were fitted, and gives an unladen weight of 670kg.
According to Dino Bandini, his uncle drove the chassis from Forli to Milan, sitting on a makeshift box, to deliver it to the workshops of Ugo Zagato and his two sons, Elio and Gianni. To cover nearly 300km in such conditions was hardly commonplace, and the police must have turned a blind eye! Zagato designed a slender and elegant body for this brilliant little chassis, which refined the theme adopted for the Moretti 750 in 1954 and was later used on the Abarth 750, before leading to Zagato’s characteristic ‘double bubble’ roof. It should be noted that the windscreen is marked ‘Securit 3-11-1955’, suggesting that the body was finished at the end of the year. In any event, its charm ensured that it won the Concorso di Eleganza in Rimini in 1957.
The 750 GT did not stay long in Italy and crossed the pond in 1959 to join the Racemasters team, which entered it in races at several well-known circuits, such as Daytona, Watkins Glen and Sebring, driven by Victor Lukens and Fred Haynes. Finished in white, it carried the markings ‘Racemasters USA, Scuderia Bandini’.
A letter sent by Jerry Greaves (who saved the car) to Dino Bandini provides some more detail about this period:
“As far as I know, the coupé was brought to Sebring at the start of 1960. It belonged to Victor Lukens (from the Lukens steel family). Lukens was an artist and photographer. Haynes (who owned the Lime Rock and Elkhart Lake racetracks) and Lukens were registered as drivers at Sebring in 1960. Ilario Bandini attended the race as an adviser. They began by having problems with the clutch, then Haynes hit a marker post. They retired at the start of the race. In June 1960, Lukens raced the coupé at the Watkins Glen Classic and won his class. Later, he ran off into the sand at Bridgehampton. The car was not too badly damaged. Lukens took it to Jim McGee’s workshop for him to repair it, but he never did so. Lukens ended up dying from drug problems and McGee left the car under a tree in his yard for 13 years. I bought it in 1978 and began to look for the missing parts.”
Dino Bandini bought the car from Greaves in 1998 and brought it back to Forli to begin a lengthy restoration. The damaged aluminium body panels were replaced and the original engine completely overhauled. Since then, the car has covered only 3000km and is in fine condition, very close to that when it left Zagato’s workshops. The interior is that of a genuine Italian sports car, with its round dials in a painted metal panel, big wooden steering wheel, small red bucket seats and quilted headlining. It is a real pleasure to hear its snarling four-cylinder engine, which holds great promise in such a light car.
This 750 GT ‘berlinetta’ is naturally eligible for the most important international events, but also for concours d’élégance throughout the world, where it will not fail to stand out. Indeed, the car is sold with an invitation to Villa d’Este in 2022, as well as its ASI plate (no. 53317) and its FIA passport.
This car’s craftsman-built chassis, its special engine, elegant bodywork by Zagato, unique character and extraordinary history make it truly exceptional: it is an opportunity which is rarely seen on the market.

Photo © Peter Singhof.

The auction of this lot will take place on Friday 18 March 2022.
https://www.artcurial.com/fr/lot-1955-bandini-750-gt-veloce-zagato-4134-140