Cayman Goes Flat Twelve!

 

A decade on from their foundation of Tecnokart s.n.c. in Bologna, brothers Luciano and Gianfranco Pederzani, embarked on a highly ambitious project.  Having seen considerable success with their karts and junior formulae cars, they resolved to build a car for Formula 1 and contest the World Championship.  But, as if this was not challenging enough, they decided to design and construct all the elements themselves, including a flat 12 engine. 

Original Tecno corporate I.D. – the initial model name, Kaimano, translates as Cayman, hence the charismatic reptilian badge icon 

For a concise summary of the project, complete with many intriguing photographs, see The Grand Prix Journal On-Line. 

The resulting good-looking, if unsuccessful, cars – run in the seasons ’72 and ‘73 – are classified under three model types: 

(’72) PA123 (chassis 001-005) – (spaceframes) – driven by Derek Bell and Nanni Galli 

 

(’73) PA123 (chassis 006) - (Allan McCall-designed monocoque) – driven by Chris Amon  


(’73) E731 (‘Goral’) – (Gordon Fowell/Alan Philips-designed monocoque) – driven by Chris Amon 



Happily, examples are still around today and looking good, especially PA123/2 and PA123/3, as seen in these excellent images, courtesy of UltimateCarPage.com:

In most accounts of Tecno in Formula 1, there will be mention of the internal dispute, (including with sponsor, Martini Rossi), leading to two ‘rival’ cars being designed for ’73, that the team scored just one single championship point – in Belgium, ’73 - and that the team eventually ‘ran out of engines.’  All rather dispiriting, but the cars did look great, and that badge . . .

©R J Colmar

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