Nardi-Danese Roadster

Information

One of two Nardi-Daneses used in the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in 1948 and 1949 with little success. After its brief Italian racing career, it was sold in 1950 to Perry Fina in New York. Together with Jim Pauley and Harry Grey, he raced the car at various events along the East Coast of the United States. To keep the car competitive, he eventually replaced the Alfa Romeo engine with a more powerful Cadillac V8.

After Fina sold the car, it was not seen until 1969 when Homer Tsakis acquired it. He recognized the historical importance of the rare Nardi-Danese and had the car fully restored to its original condition. For this purpose, he had tracked down a correct dry-sump Alfa Romeo engine. The body and chassis had survived the long racing career remarkably well. In 1997, the car passed into the hands of the current owner, who submitted chassis 948-5 to a fresh, ground-up restoration. The work took over 2,700 man-hours to complete