02/11/2022
NEWS STORY
Tributes have been pouring in for Ferrari design legend, Mauro Forghieri who has passed away aged 87.
Born in Modena, Forghieri joined Ferrari in 1960 as an apprentice in the engine department, and just a few years later, still only 27, following the shock departure of Carlo Chiti, was personally called upon by Enzo Ferrari to sort out the team's various "technical questions".
This was when Ferrari was contesting the Formula One and SportsCar World Championships with equal ferocity, and Forghieri was responsible for some of the Scuderia's most iconic cars during this golden eras, starting with the 158 which John Surtees drove to the 1964 title.
Then there were the 312 cars that took Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter to championship glory, whilst the 312P and PB dominated in SportCars.
Among other things, Forghieri is credited with introducing the first designed rear wings to Formula One at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix, and designing the first transversal automatic gear, also known as T gear.
To be clear, Forghieri not only designed race winning cars for the Scuderia, including some of the most beautiful ever to take to a race track, including the gorgeous 330 P4, he designed the engines that powered them. How about that Adrian.
Other than the numerous SportsCar titles and Le Mans wins that Forghieri secured for Ferrari - and never forget that endurance racing, far more than F1, was Enzo's raison d'etre - his F1 cars won 11 titles, four drivers (Surtees, Niki Lauda (2) and Jody Scheckter) and seven Constructors' Championships.
With his studious looks, Forghieri was portrayed in the Steve McQueen classic, Le Mans and again in the recent Ford versus Ferrari movie starring Christian Bale.
"It's been an honour making history together," said Ferrari on social media. "Ferrari and the world of motorsport will never forget you. Legends last forever."
"Today is a very sad day for everyone at Scuderia Ferrari," said Mattia Binotto. "We mourn the passing of Mauro Forghieri, one of the most amazing people to have worked here.
"With his brilliant insights, he was one of the last all-round engineers in the car world. I met him on various occasions and each time was something special.
"He was, to the end, a truly charismatic individual. His revolutionary ideas, together with his vibrant nature, his abilities as a great motivator, meant he played a very important role in some of the most significant moments of Ferrari's history and he did more than most to fuel the Prancing Horse legend. We will all miss him."
"The condolences of the FIA community are today with the family and friends of Mauro Forghieri," said FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. "He was a pioneer of motor sport engineering who had a remarkable impact on the history of Formula 1 and sports car racing, designing some of the most iconic cars and forging much of the success that is at the heart of Ferrari's legacy."
Forghieri left Ferrari for Lamborghini in 1987, where he designed the naturally aspirated 3512 V12 engine which made its F1 debut at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix. The V12 engine was used by the Larrousse/Lola team during the 1989 F1 season and also in the 1990 Lotus 102.
In 1992, he became technical director of the re-emerging Bugatti, where he remained until 1994. Whilst at Bugatti, he was involved in the development of the EB 110 and the EB 112.
In 1994, he was called as an expert in the trial relating to the death of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Readers will surely join Pitpass in sending its condolences to the family of this legendary racing icon.
Picture Credit: Ferrari/Twitter