1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet
1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet

1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Signed Race Used Bell Star XF Dual Eye Port Helmet

$15,000.00
Quantity:

1978-80 Beppe Gabbiani Bell XF GP Dual Eye Port Helmet is one of the very rarest of helmet designs and highly sought after by collectors. To have one used by Gabbiani makes this helmet all that much more special. A true collectors piece!

Giuseppe "Beppe" Gabbiani started his career with 7 years in karting before moving up Formula 3 in 1977. He won his first race in the first round of the 1977 European F3 Championship, at Paul Ricard. Then with two second places finishes and a third he ended fourth position in the Championship.

Flushed with his success, Beppe moved up to F2 as a team mate to motorcycling legend Giacomo Agostini. The car however was outdated and he scored only one top six finish. 

In 1979 he joined the March Team in F2. With a pair of second place finishes, he was fifth in the European Championship.

Poised for next step, he tested with Ferrari in F1 but In 1981 he signed to drive for the Osella team in F1  He did not qualify for most of the races and retired in the three in which he did manage to make the grid. In 1982 returned to F2, alongside Stefan Bellof.

While Bellof won the two opening rounds, Beppe got the upper hand on several occasions later in the year, in the end finishing just seven points behind Bellof in the championship.

He started 1983 brilliantly, with four wins in the first five races with the Onyx March team. After five races he was leading the championship and was still in the running for the title until midway through the season. Then the title slipped away from him and ended in third position.

In 1978 saw the arrival of this very rare Bell Star XF, one of the most appreciated dual eyeport helmets, worn by such great Formula 1 drivers as Jacky Ickx, John Watson, and Nelson Piquet, portrayed with many close-up shots showing them wearing this unmistakable model.

However, the origin of the dual eyeport helmets was dictated not by aesthetic reasons. Beyond a signature appearance, there was a specific element related once again to the driver’s protection. In the event of fire, the central pillar prevented the thin polycarbonate shield from melting into the eyeport. At that time, the shields were stamped and could not be drape formed. Towards the end of the decade, Bell introduced a new shield-forming technology that allowed the polycarbonate to be molded to a thickness of three millimeters, ensuring greater penetration and flame protection for full-face helmets.

Beppe Gabbiani’s Bell Dual Eye Port Helmet came direct from Beppe's personal collection, and has been hand signed by him noting use 1978-80. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.