Bandini 750 sport internazionale


The Bandini 750 international sport also called simply "Saponetta", is a racing car built from 1957 until 1961 by Bandini Cars.
This new type of car, prepared for the 750 sports category, replaced the "Sport Torpedo". The adjective "International" pays tribute to the merits collected overseas by the 750 sports torpedo, while "Saponetta" was its nickname courtesy of Ilario Bandini for its form, similar to that of a simple bar of soap.
As the model which replaced the bar of soap, it was much in demand in the United States where it was used both as auto racing that as "out of range" to be submitted to the streets in the city.
Its debut in racing dates back to Mille Miglia, 1957 led by Bruno Garavini, with a Bandini-Crosley updated especially in the head.
The "Saponetta", maintained the characteristics of simplicity and lightness while improving road holding and reducing drag, features which were exploited in motordromes such as the Daytona circuit and the high-speed Monza circuit.
in a Saponetta

The story

Despite not lacking in success in the USA, uphill races, and Italian circuits, the " little bar of soap" quickly responded to rapid changes in regulation, giving rise to and then versions. These updates proved fast and successful, able to sustain high RPMs even with higher displacements, collecting victories up until 1965 with Gene Parsons, James Eichenlaub, Dave Lang, Skip Callanan, Paul Richards, Victor Lukens, Jack Connolly, Giorgio Cecchini, and Ilario Bandini. These later wins were most impressive, given that many car competitors had mid-rear engines, a choice destined to spread throughout motorsports. In this context, the most important results are third place to Trento-Bondone in 1964 and fourth place to Mugello circuit road, 1965 both times driven by Antonio Benelli.
Today, nine "Saponetta" remained, one is exhibited in the museum Marconi Los Angeles, two are stored in the museum Bandini Forlì.

The chassis

The chassis construction of the Saponetta, while using the same elements as in the "750 Torpedo", changes in size and weight distribution.
Increased wheelbase and track width, significantly reduced ground clearance, and considerable lowering of driver position were all accomplished. The engine compartment was enlarged, allowing the housing of the subsequent 850 and 1000 cc engines.
The rear suspension has been enhanced with an anti-roll and, in some cases, replaced with independent rear suspension.

The Saponetta was born with the engine Bandini-Crosley 750 cc but from 1959 was also used with engines 850 cc and 1000, the first engines built completely with Bandini the transmission chain, whose project is dated 1955. There are also copies that are running with engines Saab and Ford.

Bandini Crosley 750-second series

The bodywork in aluminium open two-seater are built in Forlì by Bandini. Since the first example was built, the design underwent some radical changes: in the first version appeared laterally two vertical fins, some have a truncated tail, in the final model is elongated, low and clean. The front instead appears definitive if not minor differences in the form of air-intake front, a composition of an ellipsoid and a half circle. Significant between a model and the other is the air vent hot side of the engine compartment, sometimes rectangular smoothed trapezoid, parallelogram single or double. Always an air directed inside the characterizes the car with which he ran Ilario Bandini.
The height and shape of the windshield varies considerably between cars, while a removable fairing could be mounted on the rear of the cockpit to reduce aerodynamic drag. The same attention was paid to the rear wheels that could be half-covered with spats. In this respect is curious to see how the rule which introduced the use of roll-bar may have been exploited to create a fairing which seems to have the function of a wing.