Enrico Nardi
Encyclopedia
Enrico Nardi
was an Italian racing car driver, engineer and designer.
He worked at Lancia
between 1929 and 1937 as a truck engineer, racing car driver, and later, advisor to Vincenzo Lancia
. He was moderately successful as a driver by 1932, when, with Augusto Monaco
, he created the Nardi
-Monaco Chichibio.
Nardi himself also competed in Mille Miglia
, sharing a Fiat 508
Balilla with J. McCain in 1935 and with M. Trivero in 1936, as well as a Lancia Augusta
Berlina with Vittorio Mazzonis in 1937, and a Lancia Aprilia
with P. U. Gobbato in 1938.
Working at Scuderia Ferrari
from 1937 until 1946, Nardi became known for setting up the Fiat 508
(chassis for the 1940 Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
), and doing the development work following Massimino's design; he also co-drove an 815 with owner Lotario Rangoni
in the 1940 Mille Miglia
.
Nardi himself raced the monoposto (one-seater, or GP
type), in Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti hillclimb, winning in 1947 and 1948). It was also entered by three drivers in the 1952 Targa Florio
, but failed to finish.
Amongst the prototypes were:
Ufficine Nardi ceased to work with car prototypes in the mid-50s and specialized in speed-enhancing parts such as manifolds, crankshafts, camshafts. It has become most known for the Nardi steering wheel, initially (in 1951) using
walnut
but mostly using African mahogany
wood. The Nardi wheel was first fitted to a 1952 Pegaso
.
Nardi died from blood poisoning from exhaust gas
, after which his ufficine was run by Barbero (1966–69) and Iseglio.
was an Italian racing car driver, engineer and designer.
He worked at Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
between 1929 and 1937 as a truck engineer, racing car driver, and later, advisor to Vincenzo Lancia
Vincenzo Lancia
Vincenzo Lancia was an Italian pilot, engineer and founder of Lancia.Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin...
. He was moderately successful as a driver by 1932, when, with Augusto Monaco
Augusto Monaco
Augusto Camillo Pietro Monaco was an Italian engineer, best known for his racing cars from the early 1930s....
, he created the Nardi
Nardi (carmaker)
Ufficine Nardi was an Italian automobile and racing car maker, named for their creator.Enrico Nardi was a racing mechanic, engineer, and driver who got his start with Lancia. He test drove the first car built by Auto Avio Costruzione in Modena, where many ex-Lancia colleagues joined him.In 1932,...
-Monaco Chichibio.
Nardi himself also competed in Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
, sharing a Fiat 508
Fiat 508
The 508 was a car introduced by Fiat in 1932. It effectively replaced the Fiat 509, although production of the earlier model had ceased back in 1929. It had a three-speed transmission , seated four, and had a top speed of about . It sold for 10,800 lire...
Balilla with J. McCain in 1935 and with M. Trivero in 1936, as well as a Lancia Augusta
Lancia Augusta
The Lancia Augusta was produced by Italian automanufacturer Lancia between 1933-1936. The car was powered by a 1196 cc Lancia V4 engine.During the 1920s, Lancia had been known as producers of sports cars and middle sized sedans: the smaller Augusta represented a departure from that tradition, and...
Berlina with Vittorio Mazzonis in 1937, and a Lancia Aprilia
Lancia Aprilia
Lancia Aprilia is automobile manufactured by Lancia, one of the first designed using wind tunnel in collaboration with Battista Farina and Politecnico di Torino, achieving a record low drag coefficient of 0.47....
with P. U. Gobbato in 1938.
Working at Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
from 1937 until 1946, Nardi became known for setting up the Fiat 508
Fiat 508
The 508 was a car introduced by Fiat in 1932. It effectively replaced the Fiat 509, although production of the earlier model had ceased back in 1929. It had a three-speed transmission , seated four, and had a top speed of about . It sold for 10,800 lire...
(chassis for the 1940 Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
The Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 was the first car to be fully designed and built by Enzo Ferrari. Legal issues with former associates Alfa Romeo prevented Ferrari from creating the Ferrari marque. The 815 raced at the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix, where both entries failed to finish due to engine problems...
), and doing the development work following Massimino's design; he also co-drove an 815 with owner Lotario Rangoni
Lotario Rangoni
Lotario Rangoni Machiavelli was an Italian car racer.1He was born in Florence descending from Modenese and Florentine nobility...
in the 1940 Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
.
Nardi-Danese
After World War II, he and Renato Danese established a workshop in Via Vincenzo Lancia, Torino, building racing cars, prototypes and small-series special designs.- 750 Nardi
- Nardi-Danese 1500 sport. Fitted for the roman driver Marco Crespi, 8 cylinder as in the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815Auto Avio Costruzioni 815The Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 was the first car to be fully designed and built by Enzo Ferrari. Legal issues with former associates Alfa Romeo prevented Ferrari from creating the Ferrari marque. The 815 raced at the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix, where both entries failed to finish due to engine problems...
. - Alfa Romeo 6CAlfa Romeo 6CThe Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race and sports cars made between 1925–1954 by Alfa Romeo. 6C refers to a straight 6 engine. Bodies for these cars were made by coachbuilders such as James Young, Zagato, Touring, Castagna, and Pininfarina...
2500 variations
Nardi himself raced the monoposto (one-seater, or GP
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
type), in Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti hillclimb, winning in 1947 and 1948). It was also entered by three drivers in the 1952 Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
, but failed to finish.
Nardi & C. S.a.S.
His own workshop was established in Via Lancia (1951), focusing on prototypes and tuning equipment.Amongst the prototypes were:
- an F2Formula TwoFormula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
prototype developed with Gianni LanciaGianni LanciaGianni Lancia is an Italian former automobile engineer, industrialist and racing enthusiast, known for running the Lancia carmaker in Torino...
(1952). - two Raggio Azzurro (Blue Ray) prototypes, designed by Michelotti and built by VignaleVignaleVignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder company. Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale was established in 1948 at Via Cigliano, Turin by Alfredo Vignale in Grugliasco, near Turin ....
on 4th-series Lancia AureliaLancia AureliaThe Lancia Aurelia is a car that was produced by the Italian manufacturer Lancia. Designed by Vittorio Jano, the Aurelia was launched in 1950 and production lasted until the summer of 1958....
's (B20 1955, B24 1958). - the 4CV, a 750 cc PanhardPanhardPanhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
-powered racer intended for Le MansLe MansLe Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
(1953), as well as the 750 LM CrosleyCrosleyThe Crosley was an automobile manufactured by the Crosley Corporation and later by Crosley Motors Incorporated in the United States from 1939 to 1952.-History:...
(1950–54). A 750 Spider was presented at 37th Paris salon (1950), body by Pietro FruaPietro FruaPietro Frua was one of the leading Italian coachbuilders and car designers during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
. - The Bisiluro Damolnar (bisiluro meaning twin torpedo) was built by Mario Damonte, Carlo MollinoCarlo Mollino- Biography :Born in Turin, Piedmont, Carlo Mollino was the son of Eugenio Mollino, an engineer. As he grew up, Carlo Mollino became interested in a variety of topics that were as outrageous as his art, such as design, architecture, the occult, and race cars....
, & Nardi, using a Gianni engine. It ran at Le MansLe MansLe Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
(1955) and is currently in the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci" in Milano. - Silver Ray, a PlymouthPlymouth (automobile)Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
Golden Commando V8 350 bhp-engined Michelotti-bodied coupe for William Simpson of Coral Gables FL (1960). - single-seater on VW Beetle components, Formula VeeFormula VeeFormula Vee is a popular open wheel, single seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford or Formula BMW....
prototype, for Hubert Brundage (1959).
Ufficine Nardi ceased to work with car prototypes in the mid-50s and specialized in speed-enhancing parts such as manifolds, crankshafts, camshafts. It has become most known for the Nardi steering wheel, initially (in 1951) using
walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
but mostly using African mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
wood. The Nardi wheel was first fitted to a 1952 Pegaso
Pegaso
Pegaso was a Spanish make of trucks, omnibuses, tractors, armored vehicles, and, for a while, sports cars. The parent company, Enasa, was created in 1946 and based in the old Hispano-Suiza factory, under the direction of the renowned automotive engineer Wifredo Ricart...
.
Nardi died from blood poisoning from exhaust gas
Exhaust gas
Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel fuel, fuel oil or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe, flue gas stack or propelling nozzle.It often disperses...
, after which his ufficine was run by Barbero (1966–69) and Iseglio.