1999 Martini Picchio BMW FIA 3 Liter Sports Racer

History

The Italian race car manufacturer, Picchio, produces racing cars, road cars, and electric vehicle platforms. They also supply research and technical assistance to racing teams and manufacturers.

This Picchio, chassis MB1, was designed and engineered by Giotto Bizzarini, the designer of the famous Ferrari 250 GTO as well as various Lamborghinis. Of course he is also the designer and engineer of his own Bizzarini racing and road cars. He is a founding member of Picchio as well.

This Picchio has raced in the FIA Sports Car Championship, formerly known as the Sports Racing World Cup. Picchios have also raced in the U.S. Grand Am Series in both its SR2 open top configuration, and the later closed cockpit  Daytona Prototype division.

Picchio MB1 was sponsored by Martini and wore the famous Martini livery reminiscent of the great Martini Sports Racing and Formula One cars of the 1960’s and 1970s. The Picchios were tested and raced by former Ferrari F1 driver Arturo Merzario. The particular Picchio was raced by Gianni Giudici and his team starting in 1999.

In 1999, Giudici and Raffaele Raimondi raced the Martini Picchio in the FIA Sportscar Championship at in the 500 km. of Monza. The Picchio finished 4th in class and 9th overall, behind four Ferrari 333 SP’s. At Spa the Picchio dropped out with gearbox problems. At the RAC Tourist Trophy at Donnington, the Picchio came 4th in class and 15th overall in front of 18,000 spectators. The Martini Picchio was running a close second at the SportsRacing World Cup at Brno, when a wheel nut problem sidelined the car. The Picchio was disqualified at the ADAC Sportwagen Festival at the Nurburgring, its final European race. The car was not disqualified for mechanical reasons, but instead the team was disqualified for assaulting an official during an argument!

In 2000, the Picchio was entered by GPM Racing, with works support, and driven by Mauro Prospero and Angelo Amadori. At the ATP Trophy race at Catalunya the Picchio dropped out. At the Aprimatic Trophy Race at Monza, the Picchio claimed its first podium finish with a 3rd place. However, the Picchio failed to finish at Spa, and did not reappear again until Brno, where it finished 7th. At Donnington, the day ended with a spin off the track. Picchio MB1 race history, RacingSportsCars.com

The Picchio was then brought to the United States with its sister car to race in the 2002 Grand Am Series with the highly successful G & W Motorsports team. The team was managed by 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Price Cobb.

Research to date indicates this Picchio was used as a test car and show car to help introduce the Picchio brand in the U.S. The car’s livery was changed from Martini back to Picchio’s team color of yellow. This also matched the sister Picchio raced by Andy Lally and Darren Law. The Lally/Law car achieved multiple podium finishes, including second at the Nextel 250 at Miami Homestead, second at the Yamaha Indy 400 at California Speedway, and second yet again at the United Auto 200 at Phoenix. The Picchio also finished 6th in class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Picchio later became the first foreign manufacturer to be approved to construct cars for the Grand Am’s Daytona Prototype class.

After MB1’s stint as the factory show car, it was purchased by a Southern California vintage racer who returned the car back to its original Martini livery. The car was run at a few local vintage events before being sold onto a race car shop in Florida. While there the car was raced at the 2010 Legends of Motorsports race held at Sebring.

Thereafter the Picchio was sold to a car and motorcycle collector in Arizona. The car was displayed and shown, but not raced.

MB1 was then purchased by its current owners in 2019. Since then it has raced with Masters Endurance Legends, at the Velocity Invitational, and at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

To see photos and videos of the Picchio in action, please go to Motorsports Market Rolex Monterey Reunion.

This Picchio, MB1, has relatively little overall time on it. It has just a couple of competitive seasons from brand new. After that it has some time as the factory show car followed by a handful historic races. When the Picchio has not been on the track, regardless of the owner, it has remained on display. It is a huge attention-getter and crowd favorite both on and off the track.

Description

The Martini Picchio is constructed of tubular steel with riveted and glued aluminum panels. This construction makes it much easier and less expensive to repair in the event of a prang than a monococque tub, or carbon fiber construction. The bodywork is fiberglass. The engine is the reliable L6 BMW three litre engine, which was also used by several other chassis manufacturers in the period, such as Osella.

The Picchio has a five speed Hewland FT 200 gearbox. Unfortunately the gearbox ran dry of oil at the Rolex Monterey Reunion. The car finished the race, but the gearbox internals were seriously damaged. The gearbox has since been taken apart with some parts replaced and reassembled. This was done to demonstrate that the gearbox remains fully functional in all five gears, but it still needs a complete rebuild before being raced. The car can be driven, as seen in the videos below, but will not be track worthy until the gearbox is fully rebuilt.

The Martini Picchio demonstrated speed and success in period racing in Europe. It was among the quickest SR2 cars in all of Europe. Its sister car was one of the quickest in the U.S. Grand Am SRP2 class.

The Picchio is a special, fabulous looking, authentic Martini racing car that can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of any of the other historic Martini endurance racing cars. It is eligible for Masters Endurance Legends, the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona, the Classic 12 Hour at Sebring, the Velocity Invitational, The Rolex, and so many more events across the globe. You can now get official Heritage Collection Martini racewear from Sparco too.

We think the Picchio is not only great fun and easy to drive, it is also an amazing value.

For more on the original creation of the Picchio, please see Giotto Bizzarini and the Picchio.

All vehicle descriptions are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Corrections, and supplemental information, are always welcome. Buyers are responsible for confirming vehicle histories, condition, and authenticity to their own satisfaction prior to purchase. Motorsports Market is not the owner of the vehicle and assumes no liability for errors and omissions.

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