Are F Jrs. Etceterinis? Only the Italian ones!
We continue to feature the cars entered in the Etceterini class at this year’s Amelia. We will combine them all into one article on March 3rd to present them all at one time for voting purposes. The winner will receive a copy of “Nardi, A fast life”, donated by author Dino Brunori. Below are four more excellent Etceterinis.
1959 Bandini Formula Junior #54
Are Ecterinis Formula Juniors? Many of the early sports Ecteterinis were built with removable fenders so that they could also participate in 750 cc formula events. The open wheel tradition carried on into 1958 with the new Formula Junior class. Most of the Italian constructors also were responsible for the sports Etceterinis, including Branca and Bandini.
Ruthven at Road America with the Bandini F Jr.
Hugh Ruthven II’s Formula Junior is one of six Bandini Formula Juniors. Like most, it features a 1100 Fiat engine with extensive modification by Illario Bandini. The engine sits at a 15 degree angle and has an eight port head and dual Weber 38 DCOE1s with high compression pistons. The chromed, hand made crankshaft has 8 balanced lobes while the sump is a cast aluminum oil pan. The four speed close ratio transmission connects to a quick change de Dion rear end.
This car was originally raced by George Constantine #49 and also raced at Sebring in 1960 or 1961 (driver unknown) After 3 decades of storage, the Bandini was restored, keeping all the original aluminum body panels, engine, gauges and steering wheel etc. Ruthven began vintage racing the Bandini at Laguna Seca and Road America in 2006
and participated in the 50th anniversary Formula Junior races at Laguna Seca in 2008.
1957 Stanguellini Biabero Sport
1957 Stanguellini Bialbero Sport
One of the most rare and fantastic Stanguellinis in the world today is Jim Jenne’s 1957 Stanguellini Bialbero Sport 1100c serial #CS01120 which is the 20th out of 24 1100cc sports racing cars Stanguellinis produced. The body design was by Franco Reggiani and the
body construction was by Compana.. Only two cars of this body style were produced and its sister car, #CS01121, was the 1957 Italian 1100cc champion.
Stanguellini cockpit
Jim’s car was imported to the US for the 1958 Sebring race by Karl Kiekhaefer of Mercury Outboard and it was driven by Carl Haas and Alan Ross who finished 21st overall. It was then raced in the upper Mid West SCCA until 1971. At some point the Stanguellini engine was separated from the car and it ended up in a Lotus 11 which is today owned by the Stanguellini Museum.
Moretti 1500 Freccia d' Oro, owned by Joel Stein.
Moretti 1500 Freccia d’ Oro
Starting in 1949 and continuing through 1957, Moretti cars have had a long and exciting history of participation in the Mille Miglia. This car, a Moretti 1500 Freccia d’ Oro, is powered by a Moretti designed and built 1500cc 4-cylinder twin cam, twin plug, twin carburetor, and twin distributor motor. It has both body and tubular chassis by Moretti. The four speed transmission is Fiat 1100. This car was one of three cars reportedly ordered and built in 1955-56 by Moretti for the 1500cc class by an Argentinean group who wanted to compete against Maserati 150S and OSCA 1500, among others.
Rear view of 1500 cc Moretti.
This is the third car of the three built, #001 went to Argentina and was never paid for, but destroyed/crashed; #002 and #003 were bought by the Trustee for Moretti’s bankruptcy as an independent constructor in the sixties. Moretti survived several more years as a carrozzeria or body designer/coachbuilder, mostly for Fiat. The #002 was traded in the late sixties by the Trustee for a Renault Alpine 108 and has disappeared. The Trustee sold #003 to a lawyer from whom the current owner bought the car. It is the only one known to exist. With the exception of new paint and engine rebuild, the car is in the same ready to race condition as it was when built. The car was first shown to the public in August 2000, at the Concorso Italiano in Pebble Beach, California.
Morett Barchetta 750 cc
Moretti Barchetta 750cc DOHC
Although Moretti dates back to pre war days, the 1950s were their heyday, as the firm produced a very well selling sedan and variations of a sports car, equipped with a SOHC or DOHC engine, in both 750cc and 1200cc sizes. This barchetta, owned by Michael Schwartz, is a sister car to the 1200cc version the Dragone brothers showed at Pebble Beach in 2003 but with the 750 DOHC engine with dual side draft Webers. It was prepared for Amelia at Automotive Restorations in Stratford CT.
Moretti 750cc engine
The car was purchased through the late Raymond Milo — when the shop stripped the paint we found the original yellow color which the car has been returned to. Raymond also thought that it had come from Belgium before coming to the USA and had some racing history.