Officine Nardi was an Italian

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

and

racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including ...

maker, named for their creator.

Enrico Nardi Enrico Nardi (1907 in Bologna – 23 August 1966) was an Italian racing car driver 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 successfu ...

was a racing mechanic,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, and driver who got his start with

Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

. He test drove the first car built by Auto Avio Costruzione in

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

, where many ex-Lancia colleagues joined him.Setright, L. J. K., "Nardi: The Italian Miniaturist" in Ward, Ian, executive editor. ''The World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis Publishing, 1974), Volume 13, p.1491. In 1932, Nardi joined with Augusto Monaco to create the Nardi-Monaco ''Chichibio''. It used an

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...

998 cc 61 c

JAP ''Jap'' is an English abbreviation of the word " Japanese". In the United States, some Japanese Americans have come to find the term offensive because of the internment they suffered during World War II. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, ''Jap ...

of , more than the 1750 cc (107 in³)

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

s of its competition,Setright, p.1491. transversely mounted and coupled to a five-speed

gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...

, but unusually, driving the front wheels. Weighing only , it proved capable of . This was enough to win several Italian hillclimbs, including by Giulio Aymini in 1932. Beginning in 1948, Nardi joined with and

Renato Danese Renato is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Latin name Renatus. Notable people with the name used mononymously include: * Renato Mirze (born 1982), International brand chef, TV presenter * San Renato, a saint of the Catholic Church ...

and established a workshop in ''Via Vincenzo Lancia'',

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, building racing cars, prototypes, and small-series special designs.

The 750 Nardi-Danese

The '' 750 Nardi-Danese'' (or 750ND) was a tiny machine, assembled on a

Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 (, ) is an Economy car, economy / city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975. It was sold as a two-door semi-convertible or saloon car and as a three-door panel van or estate car. Launched ...

chassis, powered by a 746 cc

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

flat twin A flat-twin engine is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine with the cylinders on opposite sides of the crankshaft. The most common type of flat-twin engine is the boxer-twin engine, where both pistons move inwards and outwards at the same ti ...

motorcycle engine in the extreme nose with its

cylinder head In a piston engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders, forming the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines the head is a simple plate of metal containing the spark plugs and possibly heat dissipation fins. In more modern ...

s (sometimes) exposed and a single headlight in the extreme nose. Despite the engine mounting, view over the nose was adequate, and unlike the ''Chicibio'', the rear wheels were driven.Setright, p.1492. It used a multi-tube chassis and was available as a ''

monoposto An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stock cars, and Touring car racing, touring car ...

'' (one-seater, or GP type) or ''due posti'' (two-seater, sports racer, when fitted with cycle fenders).Setright, p.1492 caption. Its competition, mostly superannuated MG

Midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with d ...

s were no match for it, though it faced more competition from Bandinis. The car dominated circuit, hillclimb, and open road events. Nardi himself raced the ''monoposto'' in the ''

Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti The Dolomites Gold Cup Race (translation: ''Coppa d' Oro delle Dolomiti'') was a motor racing, car race on public roads open to traffic, which was run in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy for ten years from 1947 to 1956. It took place alo ...

'' 'climb, winning in both 1947 and 1948. There were also three entered in the 1952

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...

; all failed to finish. The 750ND remained competitive well into 1953, against the growing power of Ferrari and Maserati; at the Susa-Moncenisio 'climb, a 750ND was eighth, only 2% slower than the Ferrari of André Simon. It also made reputations for a couple of drivers, in particular later

pilot

Gino Valenzano Luigi "Gino" Valenzano (April 24, 1920, Asti - May 28, 2011) was an Italian racing driver. He entered 39 races between 1947 and 1955 in Abarths, Maseratis and Lancias as a teammate of drivers like Robert Manzon and Froilán González. Early life ...

1500 Sport

For 1947, the Nardi-Danese 1500 Sport was built for Marco Crespi, coupling two 746 cc in series on an

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 Mille Miglia, 1940 Brescia Gr ...

chassis. Around the same time, he traced the original Ferrari straight-eight castings, made in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, and fitted them with 508 heads and an assortment of internal parts, to create a 1½ liter and a 2-liter car. In 1948 and 1949, the company built

Alfa Romeo 6C The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo; the "6C" name refers to the six cylinders of the car's straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by coachbuilders such as Jam ...

2500 variations in two series.

Establishes workshop

Nardi established his own workshop in the ''Via Lancia'' in 1951, focusing on prototypes and tuning equipment. Here, he designed or built several prototypes, including: *a ''monoposto'' with a 500 cc Carru flat twin. *a 1952 F2 prototype developed with

Gianni Lancia Gianni Lancia (16 November 1924 – 30 June 2014) was an Italian automobile engineer, industrialist and racing enthusiast, known for running the Lancia carmaker in Turin (1949–55). Born in Fobello (near Biella), he was the older son of Vince ...

using mid/rear-mounted

Lancia Aurelia The Lancia Aurelia is a car manufactured and marketed by the Italy, Italian company, Lancia, from 1950 to the summer of 1958 — over a course of six ''series.'' Configurations included a 4-door Saloon (car), saloon/sedan, 2-door GT coupé ...

V6 engine, fitted with six

Dell'Orto Dell'Orto is an Italian company, headquartered in Cabiate, specialized in the construction of carburetors and electronic injection systems. The company was founded in 1933 as "Società anonima Gaetano Dell'Orto e figli" (Gaetano Dell’Orto and ...

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Vent ...

s and Nardi's own head and

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition syst ...

. It featured aluminum bodywork by

Rocco Motto Carrozzeria Motto was an Italian (Turin) coachbuilding company established in 1932 by Rocco Motto. The company produced bodies from Cadillacs to Delahayes. In 1946 Motto commenced building aluminium bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Cisitalia, Bandini_ ...

(who also bodied Bandinis) *two ''Raggio Azzurro'' (''Blue Ray'') prototypes (the B20 in 1955, B24 in 1958), designed by

Michelotti Michelotti is an Italian surname, derived from the given name Michele. Notable people with the surname include: * Biordo Michelotti (1352–1398), Italian mercenary soldier leader * Giovanni Michelotti (1921–1980), Italian automotive designer ...

and built by

Vignale Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks#Military vehicles, Re ...

, intended for the 1953

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

, as well as the 750 LM

Crosley Crosley was a small, independent American manufacturer of economy cars or subcompact cars, bordering on microcars. At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati, Ohio, firm was active from 19 ...

in 1950-54. A 750 Spider was presented at 37th Paris Salon in 1950, bodied by

Pietro Frua Pietro Frua (2 May 1913 - 28 June 1983) was one of the leading Italian coachbuilders and car designers during the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Frua was born in Turin, the centre of coachbuilding in northern Italy. He was the fourth son of Angela, ...

. *The unusual ''Bisiluro Damolnar'' (''bisiluro'' meaning ''twin torpedo''), with the aid of Mario Damonte and

Carlo Mollino Carlo Mollino (6 May 1905 – 27 August 1973) was an Italian architect, designer, photographer and Teacher, educator. Biography Carlo Mollino was born on 6 May 1905, in Turin, a major industrial city and cultural centre in northwest Italy. He ...

. Following the lead of

Piero Taruffi Piero Taruffi ("Pierino Antonio Alberto Taruffi") (12 October 1906 – 12 January 1988) was an Italian racing driver, motorcycle road racer, motorsport executive and engineer, who competed in Formula One from to . Taruffi won the 1952 Swiss Gr ...

Cisitalia Cisitalia was an Italian sports and racing car brand named after "Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia", a business conglomerate founded in Turin in 1946 by industrialist and sportsman Piero Dusio. One of the most memorable cars manufactured by ...

''Tarf'' record-breaker of 1948 and the Pegaso that failed to start at

in 1953, it was a twin-boom model (separated by airfoils), with a twin-cam 737 cc Giannini engine producing at 7000 rpm and

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

wheels in one boom, driver and tandem wheels in the other. Weighing , it was capable of up to , it started at Le Mans in 1955, falling out early. It currently resides in the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Milano. *''Silver Ray'' was

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Golden Commando V8-engined,

-bodied coupē, built for William Simpson in 1960. *single-seater on

VW Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its p ...

components,

Formula Vee Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is a open wheel, single-seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford. On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi ...

prototype for Hubert Brundage (1959). After the failure of the ''bisiluro'', ''Officine Nardi'' ceased work on car prototypes in the mid-1950s and turned to aftermarket such as manifolds, crankshafts, camshafts. It has become best known for the Nardi steering wheel, introduced in 1951 in

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

, since but mostly using African

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

. The Nardi wheel was first fitted to a 1952

Pegaso Pegaso (, "Pegasus") was a Spanish manufacturer of trucks, buses, tractors, armored vehicles, and, for a while, to train apprentices, and have a good brand image, some sports cars. The parent company, Enasa, was created in 1946 and based in t ...

.The art of driving ... Nardi wheels
from nardiwheels.com

Death

After Nardi's death in 1966, the ''officine'' was run by Barbero until 1969, then by Iseglio.

Notes

{{reflist, 2

Sources

*Setright, L. J. K. "Nardi: The Italian Miniaturist" in Ward, Ian, executive editor. ''The World of Automobiles'', Volume 13, p. 1491-2. London: Orbis Publishing, 1974.
Nardi-Personal Website
s Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Italy Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1932 Italian racecar constructors World Sportscar Championship teams Italian companies established in 1932