1953 Nardi 750

Built in 1953 by engineer and constructor Enrico Nardi with coachwork by Pietro Frua, this aluminum-bodied barchetta is one of six known Nardi 750s created by the pair – four barchettas, one coupe, and one of unknown configuration – and one of only two fitted with a 750cc, 43-hp Crosley inline-four.

Well-known entrepreneur and racer Stanley H. (Wacky) Arnolt originally ordered the car and imported it to the United States. Shortly afterwards, the car won First Prize for best design at the International Motor Sport Show in New York City. Arnolt campaigned the car in the H-Mod class at various Midwest SCCA events and also lent the car to the Henry Ford Museum’s annual “Sports Cars in Review” exhibition in 1955. Acquired in California by enthusiast Don Baldocchi in 1979, the car remained in his ownership for 39 years and was raced by Baldocchi and Lucien Remy at vintage racing events throughout the West.

The car was restored by Automotive Restorations of Stratford, Connecticut, with the restoration completed in the fall of 2023. It was subsequently shown at the 2023 Audrain Concours d’Elegance, where it received the Chairman’s Choice Award. At the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it was awarded 2nd in Class in the Frua Class, and in 2026 it received First in Class in the ‘E thru H-Modified’s’ Class at The Amelia Concours. Of the six examples built by Nardi and Frua, it is the only one to have been restored.