Mauro Forghieri (13 January 1935 – 2 November 2022) was an Italian mechanical engineer, best known for his work as a
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, ...
racing car designer with
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in refere ...
during the 1960s and 1970s. He is credited with introducing the first designed rear wings to Formula One at the
1968 Belgian Grand Prix. He oversaw numerous technical developments during his tenure at Ferrari, including the creation of the
250 GTO and
P-series sports racing cars, the
Ferrari flat-12 series of engines, Ferrari's first turbocharged engine in the
126 C F1 car, and a prototype
semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is a "theoretical" multiple-speed transmission where part of its operation is automated (typically the actuation of the clutch), but the driver's input would be required to launch the vehicle from a standstill and to ...
in 1979. During Forghieri's tenure with Ferrari, the company won the
F1 World Driver's Championship four times and the
F1 World Constructors' Championship seven times. After leaving Ferrari in 1987, he worked at
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
and
Bugatti
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...
then founded the Oral Engineering Group in 1995.
Early life
Forghieri was born in
Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
,
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
, on 13 January 1935,
the only child of Reclus and Afra Forghieri. His father Reclus, a
turner
Turner may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name
*One who uses a lathe for turni ...
, did war work during
World War II
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 ...
for the
Ansaldo mechanical workshops of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. During this time, Mauro lived primarily with his mother, spending time in Naples,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Modena and
Abbiategrasso
Abbiategrasso, formerly written Abbiate Grasso. (local lmo, Biegrass ; lmo, label=Milanese, Biaa ), is a ''comune'' and town in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy, situated in the Po valley approximately from Milan and f ...
. After the war, the Forghieri family reunited and returned to Modena, where Reclus began working in the
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
workshop in
Maranello
Maranello ( Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 17,504 as of 2017. It is known worldwide as the home of Ferrari and the Formula 1 racing ...
. Meanwhile, Mauro completed the ''
liceo scientifico'' and in 1959 obtained a ''
laurea
In Italy, the ''laurea'' is the main post-secondary academic degree. The name originally referred literally to the laurel wreath, since ancient times a sign of honor and now worn by Italian students right after their official graduation ceremony ...
'' in
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
from the
University of Bologna
The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...
.
Career
Ferrari
Despite his initial interest in aviation design, Forghieri accepted an internship offer from
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
, to which he had been introduced by his father. Beginning in spring of 1960, he started an apprenticeship in the engine department. Forghieri began working alongside many engineers involved in Ferrari's early history, including
Vittorio Jano
Vittorio Jano ( hu, János Viktor; 22 April 1891 – 13 March 1965) was an Italian automobile designer of Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.
Jano was born ''Viktor János'' in San Giorgio Canavese, in Piedmont, to Hungarian immi ...
,
Carlo Chiti
Carlo Chiti (19 December 1924 – 7 July 1994) was an Italian racing car and engine designer best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department. He also worked for Ferrari and was involved in the design of the Ferrari 156 Shar ...
and
Luigi Bazzi
is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's ma ...
, as well as race director
Romolo Tavoni
Romolo Tavoni (30 January 1926 – 20 December 2020) was an Italian sports executive best known for his work at Ferrari.
Tavoni was born on 30 January 1926 in Formigine, a small town in the province of Modena. He began his career as a bank accou ...
. He also worked alongside
Gian Paolo Dallara
Gian Paolo Dallara (born 16 November 1936) is an Italian businessman and motorsports engineer. He is the owner of Dallara Motorsports, a company that develops racing cars.
Biography
Dallara was born in Parma.
Automotive and motorsport
He g ...
, who joined Ferrari shortly after Forghieri in 1960. Forghieri's early work at the factory involved both racing cars and production road cars.
In 1961, some key figures at Ferrari, including chief designer
Carlo Chiti
Carlo Chiti (19 December 1924 – 7 July 1994) was an Italian racing car and engine designer best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department. He also worked for Ferrari and was involved in the design of the Ferrari 156 Shar ...
, left to join the breakaway
ATS Formula One team, in an event that became known as
"the great walkout". Forghieri remained as the only credentialed engineer on staff. Soon after the walkout, Forghieri was personally asked by
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; 20 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italians, Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari ...
to begin studying the "full technical questions of the Factory" (Forghieri's words).
As he was only 27 years of age at the time, Forghieri received guidance from a few more experienced staff members, including
Franco Rocchi
Franco may refer to:
Name
* Franco (name)
* Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975
* Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître"
Prefix
* Franco, a prefix used when ...
,
Walter Salvarani and
Angelo Bellei. Forghieri was soon appointed technical director for racing cars, a position he would remain in until 1984. His responsibilities included overseeing technical development, managing the technical section during races and collaborating with other Ferrari departments, including the testing department and the
drafting department.
Forghieri left his position as technical director in 1984. In January 1985, he began work on the
Ferrari 408 4RM concept car. The 408 project was completed in Spring of 1987 and Forghieri departed Ferrari for good shortly after.
Notable designs at Ferrari
Forghieri was involved to some degree in the development of every racing car produced by the Factory between his hiring after graduation and his departure in 1987.
The
sports racing cars
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is o ...
designed under Forghieri's supervision included the
GT-class 250 GTO, the development of which Forghieri continued after the original team headed by Chiti and
Giotto Bizzarrini
Giotto Bizzarrini (born 6 June 1926 in Quercianella, Livorno Province, Italy) is an Italian automobile engineer who was active from the 1950s through the 1970s.
After graduating in 1953, Bizzarrini eventually joined Alfa Romeo as a test driver. ...
left during the 1961 walkout.
Other GT-class cars included
competition versions of the 275 GTB and the
330 LMB.
Sports prototype
A sports prototype, sometimes referred to as simply a prototype, is a type of race car that is used in the highest-level categories of sports car racing. These purpose-built racing cars, unlike street-legal and production-based racing cars, are n ...
s designed by Forghieri's team included the
P series and later iterations of the
Dino series, starting with the 1965 Dino 166 P.
Forghieri stated that the 1967 330 P4 was his favorite out of all the cars he designed.
In 1964, Forghieri designed the V8-powered
Ferrari 158
The Ferrari 158 was a Formula One racing car made by Ferrari in 1964 as a successor to the V6-powered Ferrari 156 F1.
Ferrari 158
The 158 was equipped with a 1.5-litre V8 engine, with a bore and stroke of .
It was the first Ferrari Formul ...
, in which
John Surtees
John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
won the 1964 Formula One World Championship. The 158 and the Ferrari 1512 shared a Forghieri-designed aluminum monocoque chassis, the first use of this technology in a Ferrari F1 car.
Beginning in 1966, Forghieri designed the Ferrari 312 series (consisting of the
312,
312B and
312T Formula One cars and
312P and
312PB sportscars).
In 1979, he designed a
semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is a "theoretical" multiple-speed transmission where part of its operation is automated (typically the actuation of the clutch), but the driver's input would be required to launch the vehicle from a standstill and to ...
for the 312T, which was tested by
Gilles Villeneuve
Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve () (January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982) was a Canadian racing driver, who spent six years in Grand Prix motor racing with Ferrari, winning six races and widespread acclaim for his performances.
An enthusiast of ...
but never used in competition. This predated the use of a similar system in the 1989
Ferrari 640
The Ferrari 640 (also known as the Ferrari F1-89) was the Formula One racing car with which the Ferrari team competed in the 1989 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Britain's Nigel Mansell, in his first season with the team, and A ...
F1 car and the introduction of the roadgoing "F1" automated manual transmission in the 1997
F355
The Ferrari F355 (Type F129) is a sports car manufactured by Italian car manufacturer Ferrari produced from May 1994 until 1999. The car is a heavily revised Ferrari 348 with notable exterior and performance changes. The F355 was succeeded by th ...
. In 1979 he began work on Ferrari's first
turbocharged engine, which debuted in the 1981
126 C. Under his guidance, Ferrari won the driver's F1 world championship title four times, with
John Surtees
John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
(1964),
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur. He was a three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, winning in , and , and is the only driver in Formula ...
(1975 and 1977), and
Jody Scheckter
Jody David Scheckter (born 29 January 1950) is a South African business proprietor and former motor racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980, winning the Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari. Scheckter remains the only Afr ...
(1979). Ferrari also won the constructors F1 world championship title seven times.
Lamborghini and Bugatti
In September 1987, Forghieri joined Lamborghini Engineering,
a department created by
Lee Iacocca
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, an ...
, then
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
, who had bought the
Emilian car firm
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
.
In that organization, which had ex-Ferrari
Daniele Audetto as sports director, Forghieri designed the
naturally aspirated
Naturally may refer to:
;Albums
* ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley
* ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album)
* ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album)
* ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album)
* ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album)
* ''Naturally'' ...
Lamborghini 3512 V12 engine, which made its Formula One racing debut at the
1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro on 26 March 1989. It was the first race of the 1989 Formula One World Championship.
The 61-lap race was won by Englishman Nigel Mansell, driving a F ...
. The V12 engine was used by the
Larrousse/Lola team during the F1 season.
This engine was also used in the 1990
Lotus 102
The Lotus 102 was a Formula One racing car designed by Lotus for use in the 1990 Formula One season and would eventually go on to compete in 37 races spanning three seasons from until .
Development
Using the 101 as its basis Frank Dernie inco ...
F1 car.
Following the encouraging performance of the engine, the project of designing a complete F1 car was conceived, thanks to financing by the
Mexican businessman
Fernando Gonzalez Luna. The newly-formed team was named GLAS F1, from an abbreviation of Gonzales Luna Associates. Former journalist
Leopoldo Canettoli was picked to run the team. The car's suspension and gearbox were designed by Forghieri and the bodywork was designed by
Mario Tolentino. The first complete car, the GLAS 001, was slated for a debut at the
1990 Mexican GP, but the day before the official presentation to the press, Gonzalez Luna disappeared with a conspicuous amount of money that had been paid by sponsors. Following Luna's disappearance, the car and team remained in financial limbo until the team was purchased by
Carlo Patrucco in July 1990. Patrucco created
Modena Team (also known as the Lamborghini or "Lambo" team) and the Forghieri/Tolentino-designed car debuted as the
Lambo 291
The Lambo 291 was a Formula One car designed by Mauro Forghieri for use by the Modena team during the 1991 Formula One season. Its best finish was at the United States Grand Prix when Nicola Larini drove it to seventh place.
Forghieri managed to ...
at the
1991 United States Grand Prix
The 1991 United States Grand Prix (formally the XXVIII Iceberg United States Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on March 10, 1991 in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the first race of the 1991 Formula One World Championship. The 81-lap race was ...
.
In 1991, the Lamborghini Engineering department was completely reorganized by Chrysler enterprise and Forghieri was replaced by
Mike Royce. In 1992, he became the technical director of the re-emerging
Bugatti
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...
, where he stayed until 1994. While at Bugatti, Forghieri 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 driver
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions, World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers fro ...
at the
1994 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix (formally the 14º Gran Premio di San Marino) was a Formula One motor race held on 1 May 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located in Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One World Ch ...
.
Oral Engineering Group
On 1 January 1995, Forghieri co-founded with
Franco Antoniazzi and
Sergio Lugli the Oral Engineering Group, a mechanical design company.
Forghieri was active in company operations, which include design, research and development of automobile, motorcycle, marine and
go-kart
A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance Kart rac ...
engines and components.
Clients include BMW, Bugatti, and
Aprilia
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...
. Oral Engineering was commissioned to convert the
Ferrari Pinin
The Ferrari Pinin was a one-off concept car created by Italian-design studio Pininfarina, to celebrate the design studio's 50th anniversary. Discussed by Enzo Ferrari as being turned into a production model, the proposal was dropped and the car rem ...
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
from a static display into a driveable vehicle.
Project 1221
Around 2005, Forghieri joined
Project 1221, an Italian automobile company developing a new MF1 sports car, as chief engineer.
Later life
Forghieri was critical of the
drag reduction system
In motor racing, the drag reduction system (DRS) is a form of driver-adjustable bodywork aimed at reducing aerodynamic drag in order to increase top speed and promote overtaking. It is an adjustable rear wing of the car, which moves in response ...
introduced to Formula One in the 2010s. He was declared an honourary citizen of Modena in 2021.
Forghieri died on 2 November 2022, at the age of 87. Scuderia Ferrari commemorated Forghieri's passing with decals reading "''ciao Furia''", meaning "goodbye Fury," Forghieri's nickname during his time at Ferrari. These decals were applied to Scuderia Ferrari
F1-75 cars at the
2022 São Paulo Grand Prix
The 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2022) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 13 November 2022 at the Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo, Brazil. Mercedes F1, Mercedes d ...
and
488 GTE cars at the
2022 8 Hours of Bahrain
The 2022 8 Hours of Bahrain was an endurance sportscar racing event held on 12 November 2022, as the sixth and final round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the eleventh running of the 8 Hours of Bahrain, and the fourth running i ...
FIA World Endurance Championship race.
References
* Mauro Forghieri's autobiography.
*
External links
Grand Prix History – Hall of Fame Mauro Forghieri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forghieri, Mauro
1935 births
2022 deaths
Bugatti people
Engineers from Modena
Ferrari people
Formula One designers
Italian automobile designers
Italian motorsport people
Lamborghini people
University of Bologna alumni