1971 Tecno F2

The brothers Pederzani—Gianfranco and Luciano—ran a hydraulic pump company in Bologna. In 1962, they started up a second company to manufacture racing karts, known as Tecnokarts. Amazingly, within ten years they constructed and ran an F1 car—some people would later say that they should have stuck to pumps!

While this last sentiment was grossly unfair to the hardworking brothers, it is however, true to say that they went too far too fast. Their karts were immensely successful with many national championships going their way throughout the 1960s. They moved up a step by producing a tiny F4 car with a motorcycle engine, usually a 250 cc Ducati, then a similar but bigger machine for the Italian national F850 championship. In 1966, they turned their attention to F3. The works car won a European F3 round in 1967 and then took the Championship in 1968 and 1969. At the time, Tecnos were also winning French, Italian and Swedish national F3 championships.