Gioacchino Colombo

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Italian Gioacchino Colombo was an automobile engine designer. He began work as an apprentice to the great Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo. In 1937, Colombo designed the 158 engine for the Alfetta and caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari. After World War II, Ferrari asked Colombo to design a small V12 for use in the new Ferrari marque's racing and road cars.

Colombo's great work for Ferrari was a tiny 1.5 L V12, first used in the 166 sports cars. This engine, known in Ferrari circles as the "Colombo engine", was produced for road cars, including the famed 250, for more than 15 years in displacements up to 3.3 L.

Sadly, Colombo's engine was not as successful in racing. After stunning early success in the 166, the engine was supercharged for use in Formula 1 but failed to perform well. Ferrari hedged his bets, as he often did, by bringing on competing designer Aurelio Lampredi to create a large naturally-aspirated V12, which replaced Colombo's. Later, Colombo's former mentor, Vittorio Jano, came to Ferrari and displaced the work of both men.

Colombo left Ferrari in 1950 and returned to Alfa Romeo. Here, he oversaw the company's racing efforts, including the success that year of Nino Farina and, in 1951, Juan-Manuel Fangio.

In 1953, Colombo turned to Maserati and created the 250F Grand Prix car. Two years later, Colombo headed to newly-restarted Bugatti to work on the 251.



3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Scuderia Ferrari
Personnel:
22px-Flag of France.png Jean Todt | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Mario Almondo | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Stefano Domenicali | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Baldisseri
Current drivers:
22px-Flag of Finland.png Kimi Räikkönen | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Felipe Massa | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Badoer | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Giancarlo Fisichella (Test Driver) 22px-Flag of Spain.png Marc Gené (Test Driver)
Notable Former drivers:
22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Alberto Ascari | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Juan Manuel Fangio | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Mike Hawthorn | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Niki Lauda | 22px-Flag of South Africa.png Jody Scheckter | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png John Surtees | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Phil Hill | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Rubens Barrichello | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Eddie Irvine | 22px-Flag of France.png Jean Alesi | 22px-Flag of France.png Alain Prost | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Nigel Mansell | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Gerhard Berger | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Michele Alboreto | 22px-Flag of France.png René Arnoux | 22px-Flag of France.png Patrick Tambay | 22px-Flag of the Canada.png Gilles Villeneuve | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Carlos Reutemann | 20px-Flag of Switzerland.png Clay Regazzoni | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Mario Andretti | 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx | 22px-Flag of Germany.png Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Lorenzo Bandini
Formula One cars:
125 | 275 | 340 | 375 | 500 | 553 | 625 | 555 | D50 | 801 | 412 | 246 | 256 | 156 | 158 | 1512 | 312 | 312B | 312T | 126C | 156/85 | F1/86 | F1/87 | 640 | 641 | 642 | 643 | F92A | F93A | 412T | F310 | F310B | F300 | F399 | F1-2000 | F2001 | F2002 | F2002B | F2003-GA | F2004 | F2004M | F2005 | 248 | F2007 | F2008 | F60 | F10 | 150° Italia | F2012



Italian automobile designers

Carlo Abarth | Giulio Alfieri | Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni | Giovanni Bertone | Nuccio Bertone | Flaminio Bertoni | Giotto Bizzarrini | Mario Boano | Aldo Brovarone | Giuseppe Busso | Jason Castriota | Donato Coco | Sergio Coggiola | Gioacchino Colombo | Valerio Colotti | Aldo Costa | Walter de'Silva | Medardo Fantuzzi | Battista Farina | Alfredo Ferrari | Leonardo Fioravanti | Pietro Frua | Marcello Gandini | Giacinto Ghia | Dante Giacosa | Giorgetto Giugiaro | Vittorio Jano | Aurelio Lampredi | Paolo Martin | Alberto Massimino | Giuseppe Merosi | Giovanni Michelotti | Enrico Nardi | Emanuele Nicosia | Sergio Pininfarina | Orazio Satta Puliga | Nicola Romeo | Bruno Sacco | Franco Scaglione | Luigi Segre | Ercole Spada | Ugo Zagato