Ilario Bandini (1911-1992) was born as a farmers son in Forli in Italy. He followed a course to mechanic and started his own company in 1938. He called himself an inventor and car builder. He even could show some patents. He was an engineer as well: an Honoris Causa from an American university. He definitely has built beautiful cars: about 73 since 1947. The most of them were small race cars which were very beloved directly after the war, but there followed wonderful sport coupes and touring cars as well. His cars were mostly provided with speeded up Fiat-engines, but Bandini built a lot of cars with American Crossley-engines as well. That four cylinder engine wasn't old-fashioned in Bandinis time at all, which was from 1947 till 1952. It had upper camshafts which were driven by a standing shaft. A lot of times, Bandini provided the Crossley-engine with a self-made cylinder head with two camshafts and another crank-shaft, also made by himself of course. The turn of the engine stipulated the cylinder capacity. During the golden time of the company (the early fifties), there worked fifteen mechanics and man could build one car each month. In 1960, Bandini built even his engines in not less then seven different versions: from 760 cc till 1300 cc. When the mid engine came into fashion, Bandini was one of the first who built them in these ways: in spiders and coupés, for the circuit or for the sporting weekend driver. ©VEA
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