Is this REAL? Buddy just sent me this, and I plead ignorance! If so, how freekin' cool is that??
It's about as real as the Formula 1 Racing Iron he built for his mother to race. Story below:
PARILLA RACING IRON1800
This is the Parilla formula one racing iron used1500 by the countess Maria Bandini “Mama” when she won the 1953 Italian speed iro20ning championship at Rome. The countess vanquished all her opponents with her tremendous, on the edge, display of blistering speed and amazing control over a track of both linen and silk, becoming a racing legend in Italy. Just imagine the sheer adrenaline buzz of witnessing a pack of these screaming machines at speed, cheered on by delirious Italian fans. While training for the World Speed ironing championship to be held in Paris, her beloved son, Luigi was tragically killed practicing for the 1954 Milano Taranto endurance race on his experimental MV Agusta Monomoto.T he Countess’ husband, count Enzo Bandini “The Falcon” forbid her to ever race again, declaring that racing was just too dangerous! A short time later, due to some rather nasty explosions during iron racing events, the Italian government outlawed the sport and ordered its citizens to turn in all internal combustion powered irons. The Golden Age of iron racing was over. No one knows how the Contessa was able to keep her Parilla iron, but it was discovered among her effects after her death at age 103 in 2004. A family member contacted the collector Todd Fell offering him this fascinating piece of Italian racing history.
This championship machine is in its original unrestored condition, the only known survivor of the Golden Age of Iron Racing.
The Monowheel device has been discussed a few times on the MV forums - as has the Racing Iron. Both are simply 'artworks' that have appeared on occasion at auction. (Woods was one of the auction houses, and if I remember correctly that's where the above description originated).
