Chassis No. CS00174

The entry level single seat Formula Junior class, with rules designed to give budding drivers experience before graduating to Formula Two, featured numerous chassis constructors all looking to make their mark. From the beginning, none were as successful as Automobili Stanguellini. Based in Modena, Italy, the small firm became synonymous with Formula Junior due to the volume of their successes and the drivers that flocked to their cars, as well as the friendly rivalry between founder Vittorio Stanguellini and Enzo Ferrari. Lorenzo Bandini, Wolfgang von Trips, and Michael May all drove Stanguellini Formula Juniors. Even five-time Formula One World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio spent time behind the wheel of a Stanguellini Formula Junior providing important technical feedback.

This Stanguellini Formula Junior racing car was built in 1960 according to its original CSAI Homologation Certificate registered to Automobili Stanguellini. It was sold new to Mr. Giorgio Cecchnini of Pesaro, Italy, who raced it competitively from 1960 to 1961 in the Italian Formula Junior Championship. Highlights from this single-seater's fruitful racing career include a pair of third place finishes at Vallelunga and the Predappio-Rocca delle Caminate in 1960, and a class win at the latter event the following year. The Stanguellini was subsequently purchased by the esteemed Ilario Bandini, who added it to his stable of competition cars and adorned it in the Bardahl colors it remains presented in today—a striking green with a black center stripe over a red cockpit. The car is also believed to have been driven by Formula Junior regulars Bruno Garvini and Guerrini Lelli later on.

The Stanguellini was purchased by the consignor in 2006, who prolonged its exclusive Italian conservatorship. Its current owner prepared the Formula Junior machine for the upper echelon of vintage racing and acquired a coveted FIA Historical Technical Passport for the storied racing car.

Over the next two years, this race-proven Stanguellini competed in prestigious events across Europe including the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, and commensurate races at Monza, Dijon, the Nürburgring, Mugello, and Porto. It was subsequently placed in storage and remained a static yet thrilling sight for those fortunate enough to see it. The car emerged in 2025 to be displayed alongside four other historic monoposto cars from the 1960s as part of the “At the Origins of Speed” exhibition in the Galleria Caracciolo at the ACI-Storico headquarters in Rome.

While its included FIA Historical Technical Passport is expired following nearly 20 years of inactivity, the car remains eligible for the roster of noted historic events it has participated in. Successfully campaigned in period, this 1960 Stanguellini Formula Junior invites its next caretaker to revive its storied vintage racing career, and with a renewed FIA HTP in hand, continue to enjoy the single-seater at incredible historic circuits and events worldwide.