Highlights

Unique, one-off single-seater hand-built by its driver in Rome in 1968
Period Italian Formula 850 championship history with reportedly strong results
Featured in Autosprint magazine in the 1970s following its Ferrari-inspired bodywork revision
Accompanied by an ACI National HTP certificate and extensive period documentation
Includes various spare parts and a Fiat 900cc engine

The Appeal

The Italian Formula 850 championship of the 1960s and 1970s was a vibrant arena for grassroots single-seater racing, with small constructors building bespoke monoposti around the Fiat 850cc engine. The series famously counted Lella Lombardi among its early champions and attracted a dedicated community of driver-builders across Italy. This particular car is a unique, one-off example, hand-built in 1968 by Roman racing driver and mechanic Giuseppe Paparusso at his own shop in Rome.

Paparusso campaigned the car throughout the Formula 850 championship, reportedly to good effect. In 1975, he revised the front bodywork to a striking Ferrari-inspired design - a modification notable enough to earn a feature in Autosprint magazine. The car continued racing into the early 1980s fitted with a Fiat 900cc engine for the Formula Fiat Uno series, before Paparusso retired and placed it in long-term storage at his shop.

Acquired directly from its builder in 2019, the car returned to the track in 2020 at Magione circuit as part of a revived Formula 850 club racing series, running alongside examples from De Sanctis, Lucky, and BWA. Holding an ACI National HTP certificate, there's a real provenance to this car that we think is sure to attract attention from racers and enthusiasts alike.

Key Information

Mileage: Not applicable (competition vehicle; no odometer reading provided)
Country of registration: Italy
Technical inspection status: ACI National HTP certificate held; the fire extinguisher requires recertification for competition use
Technical specs: Fiat 850cc 4-cylinder gasoline engine, 4-speed manual transmission, single-seater monoposto chassis (Fiat 900cc engine also included)
Paperwork: ACI National HTP certificate, period championship classification documents, Autosprint magazine feature, technical documents covering gear ratios and engine power, various period receipts and lap time records

The Detail

One-off single-seater constructed by Giuseppe Paparusso at his shop in Rome in 1968
Raced in the Italian Formula 850 championship from the late 1960s through the late 1970s
Bodywork revised in 1975 to a Ferrari-inspired front-end design
Fiat 900cc engine installed in the early 1980s for the Formula Fiat Uno championship; this engine is included as a spare
Stored at Paparusso's shop in Rome from the late 1980s until 2019
Acquired directly from the original builder in 2019
Returned to competition at Magione circuit in 2020 as part of revived F.850 club events
Two interchangeable front bodywork configurations are included
The vendor states the car is usable
Accompanied by period hotel and highway toll receipts, technical gear ratio and engine power documents, and lap time records from Paparusso's racing career
Various spare parts included

BEFORE YOU BUY

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