Gioacchino Colombo, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetGioacchino Colombo
Automobile engineer
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Legnano, Lombardy, Italy
About Gioacchino Colombo
- Gioachino Colombo (1903–1988) was an Italian automobile engine designer.
- Colombo was born in Legnano.
- He began work as an apprentice to Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo. In 1937, Colombo designed the 158 engine for the Alfetta and caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari.
- Ferrari asked Colombo to design a small V12 for use in the new Ferrari marque's racing and road cars.
- The first Ferrari-Colombo engine appeared on 11 May 1947.
- Colombo's great work for Ferrari was a tiny 1.5 litre V12, first used in the Tipo 125, 159, and then 166 sports cars.
- This engine, known in Ferrari circles as the "Colombo engine", was produced for road cars and endurance racing cars for more than 40 years in displacements up to 4.8 L.
- These included the 3.0 litre Ferrari 250 racing, sports, and GT cars. Colombo's engine was not as successful in Formula One racing.
- After stunning early success in the 166, the engine was supercharged for use in Formula One 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.
- Where, 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.
- He then worked for MV Agusta in 1957-1970.Colombo died in Milan in 1988.
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