Colombo, Lampredi and Jano

I mentioned Leo Gossen and his amazing drawling's and engineering talent...


now... the three men who shaped ferrari engine design from the first 47' car all the way to the 80's and even the 8 cylinders of today.

Gioacchino Colombo penned the first V12 for the first car... this 60* engine started at only 91 cubic inches (118hp).... the iteration carried thru bigger bore spacing and a eventual switch to 4 cam heads on the 274/4 and lasted thru to the 1989 412i (340hp) this engine made as much as 400hp in the later 400 superamerica cars. It was basically ferrari's "street" V12


Aurelio Lampredi was only at Ferrari briefly (he was sort of "pushed out" by Jano in 1955) but it was his "big V12" racing engines that carried Ferrari forward in racing he also designed a racing 4 cylinder that was very successful in several classes. Lampredi had a long an storied career as an engine designer... he started at Piaggio (vespa) before WW2 he then designed bigger engines (as well as aircraft engines) at Isotta Fraschini but the bulk of his work was at Fiat.

Vittorio Jano is the tragic story of the trio .... like Ferrari, he too lost his son (1965) and it basicly killed him... his health went down hill fast and in 1966 he was diagnosed with cancer.. he shot himself. Jano came over when Ferrari bought Lancia in 1955... in 1956 while Dino (ferrari's son) was bed ridden and on his deathbed from MS they penned the infamous Dino V6 that was a huge commerical success. Jano is also the force behing Ferrari's Flat plane crank V8's that still live to this day in the 458 and 488.