ITLAY: Ferrari and the world of Formula 1 mourned the demise of Mauro Forghieri. He passed away at the age of 87. Forghieri was the Technical Director of Ferrari for over two decades.
Mauro Forghieri was instrumental in the design of Ferrari’s World Driver’s Championship-winning cars of John Surtees, Niki Lauda (twice), and Jody Scheckter from 1962 to 1984. Ferrari won seven constructors’ titles in that period.
Mauro Forghieri’s contribution to Formula 1
Mauro Forghieri is credited for introducing the first designed rear wings to Formula 1 at the 1968 Belgian GP. The first transversal automatic gear, also known as T-gear, was designed by him.
Mauro Forghieri joined Ferrari in 1960 as an intern, where he worked as an apprentice alongside notable Ferrari engineers from the bygone era. When a handful of prominent engineers left Ferrari, Forghieri was personally asked by Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari, to begin studying the “full technical questions of the factory.”
Forghieri became the Technical Director of racing cars at Ferrari. He occupied the position until 1984 before being assigned to work on the Ferrari 408 4RM concept car, which was completed in 1987. Shortly after that, he left Ferrari and joined Lamborghini Engineering, a department shaped by the then-CEO of Chrysler, Lee Lacocca, who had purchased the car firm.
Forghieri designed the naturally aspirated Lamborghini 3512 V12 engine at Lamborghini. The engine was first used in Formula 1 during the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix by the Larrousse F1 team. In the following year, Lotus used the Lamborghini engine in its Lotus 102 F1 car.
In 1991, Forghieri was replaced at Lamborghini by Mike Royce. In the subsequent year, he became the technical director of the re-emerging Bugatti. He is credited for the development of the Bugatti EB 110 and the Bugatti EB112. He left Bugatti in 1994.
Mauro Forghieri’s final notable contribution to the automotive world was in 2005 when he joined as chief engineer at Project 1221.
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