The 1954 Florence-Siena race was also at the origins of the Romano Bacci legend
The progenitor of the famous family of preparers also took part in the speed race which is today successfully recalled by Cassia Corse. Here are the main stages that made up their legend
From the inspiration of Romano Bacci, mechanic of a small Chianti village such as Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (Florence), in the first post-war period a great Tuscan tradition of racing car preparers began. These were the golden years of speed, when the conquest of freedom gave rise to an euphoric desire for well-being in the population. In that period races, tournaments and championships were born all over Europe, inside and outside the circuits. Romano had a passion for racing and making production cars competitive. In 1953 he raced with a Fiat 500 C, the Topolino, at the Siena-Florence and the following year at the Florence-Siena, 70 km, won by Eugenio Castellotti in a Lancia D24. Since then he has continued to race and prepare Fiat 500, Fiat 600, Fiat 1100 for himself and for various customers. The name Romano Bacci sounded like that of a company that set up winning cars in the time trials and racetracks.
From preparation to production. Since 1970, with the advent of Group 2, the greater freedom left to the preparers in the face of elaborate pieces that were in short supply on the market, prompted Romano Bacci to make the parts he needed himself. In his workshop in Tavarnelle, he then began a spare part construction activity such as camshafts, cylinders, gears, self-locking devices, etc. And he also began to sell them to third parties, throughout the Italian peninsula. The company thus created a regular clientele, which in part still exists today, and gradually concentrated more and more on the manufacture of components. Meanwhile, one of Romano’s two sons, Sergio, had also made his debut in the 1968 Montenero climb with a Fiat Cinquecento. A model, the small creation of Dante Giacosa, with which the driver in the seventies won many many climbs. While his father’s work continued also on the mechanics front.
A story that has lasted for four generations. And here we are in the eighties, when the company changed headquarters in the industrial area of Ponte Nuovo, also near Tavarnelle. In the following decade, the passion for racing and for technology that was developing more and more then infected Sergio’s son, Andrea, who invested heavily in efficient machinery to produce high quality mechanical parts. And we are in the third generation. Andrea also had a passion for racing: first with a Fiat 595, then with some Alfa Romeo cars and finally with a BMW with which he won a lot, including seven Italian Championships. But the story of the Bacci family and their company does not end there: the last – for now – to join the company is Andrea’s son, Matteo, who continues the tradition started by his great-grandfather Romano. Very young, on Sundays he wears a suit and helmet and runs on all the Italian circuits; then, during the week, he works alongside his father and grandfather Sergio. That’s an Italian example of dedication to work, seriousness and a great passion for racing.
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