In the 1930s, Vittorio Stanguellini started modifying Fiats for racing and built his first complete race car in 1947. From then until 1962, he made two to four sport racecars per year.
In 1956, he made two 1100cc cars and two 750cc cars with a body design by Franco Reggiani and built by Compana. This is one of the two 1100cc cars. This car was shipped to the United States in 1957 and sold to Carl Kiekhaefer, owner of Mercury Outboard in Wisconsin. The other 1100cc car stayed in Italy, winning the 1957 Italian National Championship 1100cc class that year.
This car was entered in the 1958 Sebring 12 Hour and finished 21st overall driven by Carl Haas and Alan Ross, finishing 4th in class behind three new Lotus 11 cars.
It went back to Wisconsin where it raced at Elkhart in the annual 500 mile race in 1960, 1962 and 1963. It also raced on other tracks in the north central United States. Its last known race was in 1971 at Brainerd, MN, after 13 years of SCCA racing.
The current owner acquired the car in 1983 in sad shape, cleaned it up and painted it. He raced the car until 1990 when it was taken apart for a restoration that was completed in 2009. Today this beautiful little race car is retired and graces auto shows with her presence.
