1955 Ermini 1100 Sport Competizione ‘Buoncristiani’
Pasquino Ermini built his reputation in Florence on a single idea: that a Fiat 1100 engine fitted with his own twin-cam cylinder head could trouble machinery of far greater capacity.
Between the late 1940s and mid-1950s, Ermini-powered cars made hundreds of race appearances, claiming class victories at events such as the Targa Florio, Giro di Sicilia, and Mille Miglia, and on occasion finishing ahead of larger-displacement Ferrari and Maserati entries.
This 1100 Sport Competizione was commissioned by Giovanni Buoncristiani, a Florentine livestock merchant and committed amateur racer who approached Ermini in the early 1950s for one of his engines.
Built on a purpose-made tubular chassis, the barchetta coachwork is attributed in original form to Frua and later revised by Morelli (a pattern common in period racing evolutions). Buoncristiani campaigned the car from 1954 through 1959, contesting more than twenty events in the 1,100 cc class across Italy and Sardinia.
The 1.1-liter (1,089 cc) twin-cam inline four produced approximately 80 to 90 hp depending on state of tune, driving through a four-speed gearbox. The cockpit is fitted with a Nardi Junior wood-rimmed steering wheel, Jaeger tachometer, VDO gauges, a low aeroscreen, and cross-spoke wire wheels with knock-off hubs.
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