Once upon a time, in a roaring corner of Modena, there was a name destined to carve its place in automotive history — not with twelve-cylinder muscle, but with clever engineering, lightweight bolts, and a passion that knew no displacement: Stanguellini.While Ferrari was still grappling with its very first Prancing Horses, Vittorio Stanguellini was already proving that even a 750cc, when finely tuned, could roar like a lion.
From Bicycles to Race Cars: The Long Road to Legend
The story begins at the end of the 19th century with Celso Stanguellini, who traded in bicycles and musical instruments. But it was his son Francesco who, in 1900, gave the family a decisive turn — becoming the first Fiat dealer in Modena. In short, the DNA of speed was soon passed on to young Vittorio Stanguellini, the true protagonist of our tale. A man of style, a refined mechanic, but above all a visionary who believed that with a bit of filing and a lot of ingenuity, even a Fiat engine could win at Monza.During the 1930s and 1940s, while the world faced wars and crises, Vittorio turned his home garage into a racing workshop. There, among workbenches and four-wheeled dreams, the first Stanguellini race cars were born. He modified Fiat 500 and 1100 engines, lightened frames, and sculpted aluminum bodies as if they were Renaissance art. He was more an artist than an industrialist — and the world took notice.
Golden Years, Trophies and Pistons
In the 1950s and ’60s, Stanguellini became synonymous with success in the Sport and Touring categories. His cars dominated the 750 and 1100 classes. The Stanguellini 1100 Sport, born from a Fiat engine transformed with a refined twin overhead camshaft, won almost everything there was to win. Mille Miglia? Check. Targa Florio? That too. On the track as on the road, his machines didn’t just race — they danced.
And when Formula Junior was born in 1958, the entry-level category for single-seaters, who was the first to show up at the starting line with a competitive car? Stanguellini, of course. His monopostos became the stepping stone for young drivers — including a certain Lorenzo Bandini, who first caught attention behind the wheel of a Stanguellini. Legend has it that Enzo Ferrari watched those cars with respect (and perhaps a hint of envy).
The Fiat Connection: A Long and Fruitful Relationship
The collaboration with Fiat was the technical cornerstone upon which Stanguellini built his greatness. Fiat engines were taken apart, lightened, and optimized down to the last gram. It was like turning a pop tune into an opera aria. Stanguellini didn’t invent engines from scratch — he simply knew how to extract from a Fiat 1100 what even the Turin engineers thought impossible.And Fiat benefited too: while their small cars conquered the streets, Fiat engines tuned by Stanguellini were conquering the racetracks.
Iconic Models (Small but Mighty)
- 750 Sport Nazionale (1938–1948): The little Modenese dragon. Fiat Topolino chassis, Le Mans spirit. If it overtook you in a corner, it did so with a smile.
- 1100 Sport Internazionale (1947–1957): Clean lines, featherweight body, plenty of bite. A car that gave much pricier machines a hard time.
- 750 Sport Internazionale (1948–1958): With a roaring twin-cam engine and jet-like aerodynamics, it was the secret weapon of many private racers.
- Formula Junior (1958–1961): A true school of speed on wheels. Light as a feather, fast as lightning. Today remembered as the “poor man’s Ferrari” — and that’s no insult.
- Colibrì (1963): A record-breaking car powered by a Moto Guzzi engine. So light, it only needed the flap of a wing to take off. It set a world speed record in its class.
Decline and Museum Rebirth
With the arrival of major manufacturers in the racing world — and increasingly strict regulations — it became difficult for small artisanal builders like Stanguellini to stay on track. Production slowed through the 1970s until it eventually stopped.But like all great Italian stories, this one ends on a beautiful note: the Stanguellini Museum in Modena, still run by the family today, houses a breathtaking collection of cars, trophies, and memories. It’s a journey back to a time when genius, a welding torch, and pure passion were enough to challenge the giants.
