Automobili Stanguellini is an Italian maker of small sports cars, based in Modena and founded by Vittorio Stanguellini, it was most active between 1946 and 1960. They continued to produce competition cars until 1981, when Vittorio Stanguellini died; thenceforth, the company devoted to vintage cars.

​

The Stanguellini family has had a long involvement with the motor car. Vittorio's grandfather founded an engineering company in 1879, and his father was the first one in Modena to register a car (in 1910, registration "MO 1"). "By the time Vittorio took over, in 1929, the family business included a FIAT agency.

Vittorio Stanguellini began tuning and modifying Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Fiat cars for racing. He was a friendly rival of Enzo Ferrari in Modena beginning in the late 1920s. Vittorio then formed Squadra Corse Stanguellini in 1938 and quickly found success when he modified a Maserati 6CM which took the overall victory at the 1938 Targa Florio.

​

Stanguellini's cars competed in countless sports car racing events, minor and major (such as the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans) alike. Vittorio Stanguellini used his experience tuning Fiats in the pre-war days, and having raced them under the Squadra Stanguellini flag, he based his small racers on Fiat components. Focusing on the 750 & 1100 cc classes (winning numerous National victories), Stanguellini sports cars were beautifully engineered cars with light-alloy cylinder blocks, twin overhead camshafts (bialbero) and dual side-draught Weber carburettors. This would add up to a claimed 60 bhp (40 kW) at 7500 rpm from the 741 cc sports engine and 90 bhp (70 kW) at 7000 rpm from the larger engine, providing top speeds of around 180 km/h (110 mph) and 190 km/h (120 mph) respectively.

Unlike many other of the so-called "Etceterinis", Stanguellini were loath to use foreign parts, instead relying on Fiat as much as possible. Bodywork was usually by local Carrozzeria Reggiano.

Vittorio Stanguellini tried very hard to gain a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, with his limited resources, he never was able to achieve this. His best finish was a fourth in class.

 

About "La Micia"

Inspired by the Parma-Poggio di Berceto, a road race that went past his family home, Fabrizio Lorenzoni desired from an early age to experience the same rush of speed that a racing driver does. With a Fiat 1100 by Stanguellini in the garage, few classics can give the same open air excitement as Lorenzoni’s unique machine.

Starting life as a race car in 1948, when Lorenzoni’s father bought the car in 1955 its history changed completely, Lorenzoni says. “We've kept this car at home since 1955 when my father bought it, but he never raced it,” he says. “He bought it exclusively for the pleasure of having a sports car at home, and it was kept in the garage for a long time.”

From 1977, however, a chance to commemorate the Parma-Poggio di Berceto race led the family to participate with the car in competition once again; this former racer had been used in several events in period, including the Targa Florio, Grand Prix of Naples, Grand Prix of Rome, and the Giro di Toscana.

Automobile Stanguellini began life as a Fiat tuner, eventually moving to produce its own coachbuilt models for racing purposes. The first owner of this special car named it “Micia”, after his wife allowed him to compete in the Mille Miglia.

After Lorenzoni’s first race outing with the car in 1977, he’s tried to research and piece together his car’s history from those early days of racing…when he’s not driving it, of course.

“Once the driver is inside the cockpit he finds himself inside a little jewel,” Lorenzoni says, “…by which I mean that it's very comfortable and you can experience the same thrill the drivers experienced in the ‘50s and ‘60s.”

“When I race, dressing the way drivers did in those days, I feel like I'm one of them, he says, “…although they were crazy and I'm a bit more calm. Petrolicious