Vincenzo "Enzo" Osella (born 26 August 1939) is the founder and chairman of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

auto manufacturer

Osella Osella is an Italian racing car manufacturer and former Formula One team. They participated in 132 Grands Prix between 1980 and 1990. They achieved two points finishes and scored five championship points. Early days Named after its founder V ...

as well as former principal of the Osella

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

team.

Life

Enzo Osella was born in

Volpiano Volpiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italian region Piedmont. The city is located about 15 km north-east of Turin. It is an industrial (fuel, transportation, electronics) and agricultural (wheat, c ...

, near

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, to Luigi and Maria Osella. His parents ran a grocery store and a transport company in

until the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the war Luigi Osella took over a garage in the centre of Turin. Enzo Osella first job out of school was in a gravel plant. He then started helping his father at the garage by working on the customers' cars. One of his father's regular client was an amateur rally driver who convinced Enzo to assist him as navigator. From 1957 Osella competed as navigator in several rally races, including the Sestriere Rally. Osella even attempted to participate as a driver by borrowing his sister's

Fiat 600 The Fiat 600 ( it, Seicento, ) is a rear-engine, water-cooled city car, manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat from 1955 to 1969 — offered in two-door fastback sedan and four-door Multipla mini MPV body styles. Measuring only ...

. He then purchased a

Lotus 11 Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature *Eleven (novel), ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David ...

, which he modified according to his own wishes and equipped with an Osca engine and an

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

differential, and took part in hillclimb races. His racing efforts not particularly successful, Osella in 1963 took a job with

Carlo Abarth Carlo Abarth (15 November 1908 – 24 October 1979), born Karl Albert Abarth, was an Italian automobile designer. Abarth was born in Austria, but later was naturalized as an Italian citizen; and at this time his first name Karl Albert was chang ...

, who produced

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

-based racing cars in Turin and also ran a

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

team. Osella worked for Abarth as a test driver, gaining insight into chassis and engine production and tuning aspects. Osella also worked as a mechanic and driver supervisor for the Abarth racing team during this time. At the end of 1964 Enzo Osella went into business for himself and took over an Abarth factory agency in Turin. In 1971

sold the name rights and production facilities to Fiat and retired to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Osella purchased the racing department, and started operating it under the name

Corse. Osella's company is currently based in

Verolengo Verolengo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Origin The origin of the name Verolengo seems to be linked to the numerous pig farms (verro, also present ...

. The team is still competing in sportcar and hillclimb races.

Personal life

Enzo Osella is married and has two children, a boy and a girl. His son died in 1991.

References

External links

* Short biography on the websit
www.grandprix.com
* Short biography on the websit
www.oldracingcars.com
1939 births Living people Italian motorsport people Formula One team owners {{F1-bio-stub