Moroncelli
A home-built car for Santamonica
Moroncelli is not a company name but the builder’s: Domenico Moroncelli, a local craftsman. There was only one car — chassis 001.
It was meant for the Santamonica circuit near Misano. Opened in 1972, it soon hosted many races of the Junior classes.
The car
The body is all aluminium – no resin parts. The Fiat 500 Giardiniera engine is mounted upside down to keep the centre of gravity low; the mechanics had to stay close to standard.
Wing and spoiler come off: aerodynamic appendages were not allowed in this class.
The car measures about 3.20 by 1.40 metres. It has never been restored – the paint and stickers are the old ones.
What the plate says
A plate is fixed to the car, and it says more than any other source we have on it:
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Formula “Junior” |
| Chassis | 001 |
| Year | 1979 |
| Displacement | 499.5 cc |
| Engine type | Fiat 120.000 |
| Builder | Domenico Moroncelli |
Fiat 120.000 is the flat twin of the Fiat 500 Giardiniera and the Autobianchi Bianchina — the engine of this class. At 499.5 cc the car is therefore a Formula Monza 500, even though the plate calls it Formula “Junior”: that is what it was called in Italy, after the Pista Junior at Monza where the racing took place.
