Nicola Materazzi (28 January 1939 – 24 August 2022) was an Italian
mechanical engineer who developed several sports and racing cars, including the
Ferrari 288 GTO,
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 (''tipo'' F120) is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car engineered by Nicola Materazzi with styling by Pininfarina. It was built from 1987 until 1992, with the LM and GTE race car versions continuing production until 1994 ...
,
Bugatti EB110
The Bugatti EB 110 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. from 1991 until 2002, when the company was liquidated. It was the only production model made by Romano Artioli's Italian incarnation of Bugatti.
History
Deve ...
, and
B Engineering Edonis
The B Engineering Edonis is a sports car developed in the year 2000 and manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer B Engineering with overall engineering by Nicola Materazzi (ex Lancia, Ferrari & Bugatti) and styling by Marc Deschamps (e ...
. He was one of Italy's leading
turbocharging specialists from the mid 1970s, a respected sports car and motorcycle engineer and is sometimes referred to as "Mr F40" or the "father of the F40".
Career
Along with
Gordon Murray
Ian Gordon Murray (born 18 June 1946 in Durban, Union of South Africa), is a South African-born British designer of Formula One racing cars and the McLaren F1 road car. He is the founder and CEO of Gordon Murray Automotive.
Early life
Born t ...
,
Colin Chapman,
Eric Broadley
Eric Harrison Broadley MBE (22 September 1928 – 28 May 2017) was a British entrepreneur, engineer, and founder and chief designer of Lola Cars, the motor racing manufacturer and engineering company. He was arguably one of the most influentia ...
, and
Carroll Shelby, Materazzi was one of the most prolific engineering designers of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, having worked on a total of 38 projects in motorsports, supercars, and motorcycles during a career spanning 42 years. Coming from the region of
Cilento
Cilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important Tourism, tourist area of southern Italy.
Cilento is known as one of the centers of Mediterranean diet.
Geograph ...
where no automotive industry was present, his first career role started as Calculations Specialist at the
Lancia
Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...
Turin headquarters.
During his career in the Italian automobile industry he worked with or was the successor to a number of notable engineers such as
Francesco De Virgilio (Lancia), Mario Mezzanotte (Pirelli), Franco Rocchi, Angelo Bellei (Ferrari), Antonio Tomaini (Ferrari, Osella),
Massimo Tamburini
Massimo Tamburini (November 28, 1943 – April 6, 2014) was an Italian motorcycle designer for Cagiva, Ducati, and MV Agusta, and one of the founders of Bimota. Tamburini's designs are iconic in their field, with one critic calling him the "Michel ...
(Cagiva),
Paolo Stanzani
Paolo Stanzani (20 July 1936 – 18 January 2017) was an Italian mechanical engineer and automotive design
Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles - including auto ...
(Bugatti),
Marcello Gandini,
Sergio Scaglietti
Carrozzeria Scaglietti () was an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding company active in the 1950s. It was founded by Sergio Scaglietti in 1951 as an automobile repair concern, but was located across the road from Ferrari in Maranello outsid ...
, and
Leonardo Fioravanti
Leonardo Fioravanti may refer to:
* Leonardo Fioravanti (doctor) (1518–1588), Italian doctor
* Leonardo Fioravanti (engineer) (born 1938), Italian car designer and engineer
* Leonardo Fioravanti (surfer)
Leonardo Fioravanti (born 8 December 199 ...
.
List of projects & designs
*
Lancia Flavia
The Lancia Flavia (Tipo 815/819/820) is an executive car produced by Lancia in Italy from 1961 to 1971. Production continued as the Lancia 2000 from 1971 to 1975.
The Flavia was launched with a 1,500 cc engine at the Turin Motor Show#1960, ...
(1968–69) - Materazzi carried out calculations (by hand or mainframe computer) for chassis, steering, suspension
*
Lancia Fulvia
The Lancia Fulvia (Tipo 818) is an automobile produced by Lancia between 1963 and 1976. Named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading from Tortona to Turin, it was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 and manufactured in three variants: B ...
1300 & 1600 HF (1969–70) - same as above
*
Lancia Stratos Group 4 (1970–74) - became more involved in engine and suspension (MacPherson) applications for racing; then provided race support
*
Lancia Stratos Group 5 "Silhouette" (1975–77) - developed the turbocharged engine and the car's bodywork aerodynamics
*Formula Abarth (1978) - developed the whole car for the project initiated by
Aurelio Lampredi
*Osella FA2 (1979) - designed the car to compete in Formula 2
*Osella FA1 (1979) - designed the car to compete in Formula 1
*Ferrari 021 engine (1980) - engineered an improved Comprex system (not used) and the KKK turbocharger system
*
Ferrari 126C
The Ferrari 126C is the car with which Ferrari raced in the 1981 Formula One season. The team's first attempt at a turbocharged Formula 1 car, it was designed by Mauro Forghieri and Harvey Postlethwaite and used between the 1981 and 1984 season ...
(1980–83) - worked as responsible person for the design office, overseeing engine development for 1980, 81, 82, 83
*
Lancia LC2
The Lancia LC2 (sometimes referred to as the Lancia-Ferrari) was a series of racing cars built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia and powered by engines built by their sister company Ferrari. They were part of Lancia's official factory-bac ...
(1982) - developed "268" engine (2.6L V8), the chassis was designed by
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 ...
*Ferrari F114B engine (1983–84) - developed 2.857L V8 engine for the
288 GTO
The Ferrari GTO (often referred to as Ferrari 288 GTO) (Type F114) is an exotic Homologation (motorsport), homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 to 1987 in Ferrari's Maranello factory, designated GT for Grand tourer, Gran Turismo ...
and defined much of the vehicle architecture (change from transverse to longitudinal engine)
*
Ferrari Testarossa engine (1984) - collaborated on the engine design
*
Ferrari 412 engine (1985) - collaborated on the engine design
![Ferrari_F40](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Ferrari_F40.jpg)
*
Ferrari GTO Evoluzione (1984–86) - Chief Engineer for the vehicle
*
Ferrari 328 Turbo (1985–86) - Chief Engineer for the engine
*Ferrari F120A/B engine (1986) - Chief Engineer for the engine
*
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 (''tipo'' F120) is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car engineered by Nicola Materazzi with styling by Pininfarina. It was built from 1987 until 1992, with the LM and GTE race car versions continuing production until 1994 ...
(1986) - Chief Engineer for the vehicle
*Ferrari F121A engine (1987) - Chief Engineer. This 200 hp/litre engine was not used
*
Cagiva 589 (1988) - Technical Director
*
Cagiva 591 (1990) - Technical Director
*
Bugatti EB110
The Bugatti EB 110 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. from 1991 until 2002, when the company was liquidated. It was the only production model made by Romano Artioli's Italian incarnation of Bugatti.
History
Deve ...
GT (1991) - Technical Director; introduced carbon-fibre chassis, engine improvements (engine was designed by Tecnostile),
altered F/R torque distribution
*
Bugatti EB110
The Bugatti EB 110 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. from 1991 until 2002, when the company was liquidated. It was the only production model made by Romano Artioli's Italian incarnation of Bugatti.
History
Deve ...
SS (1992) - Technical Director; implemented technical specification for lightweight model for 340 km/h
*
Laverda
Laverda (''Moto Laverda S.A.S. – Dottore Francesco Laverda e fratelli'') was an Italian manufacturer of high performance motorcycles. The motorcycles in their day gained a reputation for being robust and innovative.
The Laverda brand was abso ...
750 (1996–97) - Technical Director; developed new engine
*
B Engineering Edonis
The B Engineering Edonis is a sports car developed in the year 2000 and manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer B Engineering with overall engineering by Nicola Materazzi (ex Lancia, Ferrari & Bugatti) and styling by Marc Deschamps (e ...
(2000–05) - Technical Director; chief engineer for complete vehicle (car styled by Marc Deschamps)
Early life
Born in a family of doctors, Nicola Materazzi showed an early interest in cars at the age of 4, asking his parents to read him pages of the press articles of the time.
During his adolescence he enrolled in the Liceo Classico school in the town where his father was a practising doctor.
In 1961 he built his first go-kart at the age of 22 and he attended as a spectator his first Targa Florio race in 1966 where he was influenced by agile cars such as the Porsche 904 and Ferrari Dino. In 1970 while a spectator at Monza he witnessed the accident in practice where Jochen Rindt lost his life.
Lancia, Abarth, Osella (1968–1979)
![Lancia Stratos Turbo in Berlin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Lancia_Stratos_Turbo_in_Berlin.jpg)
After high school he spent the summers of 1964 and 1965 in internships at the
Mobil
Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999.
...
Oil refinery near
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 ...
where he learnt about fuels and the important octane properties of different formulations of
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
. After graduation in engineering at the
University of Naples, he spent about a year working there as an assistant professor, leaving during the tense atmosphere created by the student protests of 1968.
Hired by the
Lancia
Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...
technical team in the early seventies, he moved to Turin where he worked as a calculations specialist on chassis, suspension and steering structures. One of his first important experiences was to participate in the development of the Lancia Stratos for rallying. Later as part of the design team responsible for modifying the engine and aerodynamics of the Group 5 turbocharged
Stratos Silhouette, thus starting his long technical career, mostly dedicated to the design and testing of supercharged engines.
In 1978, following the merger of the Lancia and FIAT racing departments, he went to
Abarth
Abarth & C. S.p.A. () is an Italian racing and road car maker and performance division founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is owned by Stellantis through its Italian subsidiary. Its logo is a shield with a styliz ...
to design the car for the Formula FIAT Abarth, a racing series for developing young race drivers.
At the end of 1978, he worked at
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 ...
where he was responsible for the design of a Formula 2 car (FA2) and later of a
Formula 1
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, ...
car. However, he did not follow the FA1's racing campaign because by January 1980 he was working at Ferrari.
Ferrari Formula 1 and performance road cars (1979–1988)
![Ferrari 021 engine rear Museo Ferrari](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Ferrari_021_engine_rear_Museo_Ferrari.jpg)
In 1979 he was hired by
Ferrari's racing division as head of the design/engineering office (while Mauro Forghieri remained Technical Director) due to his specialisation in forced induction, which would help the team from the 1980 season onwards. He was the main engineer responsible for the adoption of turbo engines at Ferrari.
Later he was also assigned several production car developments such as the engine for the
328 Turbo,
Ferrari 288 GTO,
288 GTO Evoluzione,
Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa (Type F110) is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. The Pininfarina-designed car was originally produced from 1 ...
,
412 GT, and was then directed by
Enzo Ferrari, shortly before his death, to lead the development and creation of the
F40 which is probably the project Materazzi is most associated to by Ferrari owners. He also designed various engines such as the type 268 used by the
Lancia LC2
The Lancia LC2 (sometimes referred to as the Lancia-Ferrari) was a series of racing cars built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia and powered by engines built by their sister company Ferrari. They were part of Lancia's official factory-bac ...
in endurance races.
"Working under Enzo Ferrari"
Materazzi was notified of Enzo Ferrari's interest to hire him by a friend who was working within Ferrari. During a telephone call Enzo Ferrari invited Materazzi to visit his office and discuss a job offer that would involve him taking responsibility for engine development, in particular with regards to turbocharging. After the successful agreement, the company released an article in the Italian press with the title "The technical expert who knows everything about the turbo has left Osella and joined Ferrari".
Mr. Ferrari, who was 100% in control of the Gestione Sportiva (Racing Division) structured the 1981 staff with Mauro Forghieri as technical director, Angiolino Marchetti as head of vehicle design, Gianfranco Poncini as head of structural and aerodynamic calculations, Nicola Materazzi as head of the technical office for all development of chassis and engines.
The racing department of Ferrari in the 1980s was of relatively limited size, so there was daily discussion between Ferrari, Forghieri, Materazzi, Tomaini and other experienced engineers in the team.
Materazzi in particular was in a delicate position once the turbocharged engines started to run "in anger" on the cars, due to the need to control any reliability issues and prevent failures that would cause the drivers to retire from a race. The turbo cars were powerful but the technology of the time was not always fully robust. Enzo Ferrari asked to anticipate the introduction of the turbo on the 126 car while Materazzi argued that some additional time was required to prove on the dynamometers that the engine would run for the required race distances.
![Ferrari 288 GTO (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Ferrari_288_GTO_%281%29.JPG)
Owing in part to his total passion for engineering and in part due to not being then married, Materazzi was fully dedicated to his work. Ferrari understood this driving passion and sought to encourage him to take on some issues that were predominant in the road car division, where the old man however did not have full control; it was FIAT who controlled the Gestione Industriale (Industrial Division). Enzo Ferrari lamented that new emissions regulations and cost economising had made the new cars "sleepy", in other words heavy or underpowered. He felt that Materazzi could look into the powertrain designs and breathe new life into them, bringing the racing knowhow into the hands of the gentleman customer.
On a late evening in Ferrari's office, the two discussed the project for an engine, where Materazzi clearly stated that a road car engine with three litres of displacement should allow for at least 400 horsepower, and not merely 300 as the initial specification stated. Ferrari took this bold statement as an opportunity to delegate the responsibility to him, something which Materazzi initially declined due to other racing commitments but reluctantly accepted after the insistence from the old man. The work on the engine then led to more work on the general layout of the (288) GTO vehicle, where Materazzi chose to install the engine longitudinally, to allow better space and equal exhaust lengths for the turbocharging.
The GTO Evoluzione was unfortunately a victim of the cancellation of FISA Group B championship. It was ready and should have been produced in the numbers required for homologation but for the deaths of Toivonen and Cresto. The few cars that were built were sold to a handful of enthusiasts and one or more remained parked in a corner of the workshops. Ferrari entrusted one of the experienced test drivers to try it on the road and asked Materazzi why the car would be "killed" and if it could please be developed into a road car.
![Ferrari 288 GTO](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Ferrari_288_GTO.jpg)
Materazzi pointed out to Ferrari that it would be very tricky to develop a car in a very short space of time but that it could be possible if he did not have interference from people and politics. Ferrari thus invited Materazzi to choose his collaborators and - due to his habit of noting everything day by day in a diary - wrote down "Materazzi, no rompicoglioni" : Materazzi, no ball-busters (interfering). This agreement after the meeting meant that the project for a new car (the name was not yet chosen) started on the 10th of June 1986. It was not possible to schedule a launch in October (Frankfurt) because that would have clashed with the Alfa Romeo 164. Instead of postponing the date, Mr Ferrari insisted that the car be presented before the August holidays, putting considerable pressure on Materazzi to complete the work in just 12 months, which was achieved by working on week-ends and bank holidays. The car was presented to the press during a relatively low key event at the Civic Centre in Maranello on 21 July 1987, where (from left to right) Materazzi, Fioravanti, Ferrari, Razelli sat at the table to answer questions from the press.
The F40 was described in certain press articles as Ferrari's answer to the Porsche 959 owing to the similar release dates. Materazzi however confirmed that this was not possible, since the Porsche Gruppe B prototype was initiated by Porsche's management (Bott & Schutz) in 1981 and manufactured from 1986 after delays in development related to the high technological content (and related workload). Materazzi always maintained that logically, only the 288 GTO was the competitor to the 959 due to its development from 1983 to 1984, with the brief to bring more performance to the road cars which Ferrari felt were underpowered. The GTO's link with FISA Group B was predominantly an opportunity to prove the car, rather than the raison d'etre of the GTO. The F40, whose development was initiated in June 1986, was a car borne out of the GTO Evoluzione but without any specific brief to match the 959 technical content (4WD, adaptive damping etc.).
From August 1987 Enzo Ferrari had decided to hand the role of technical director for the road car division to Materazzi but because FIAT had overall control of that division, it chose instead a manager from Carraro Tractors (then part of the FIAT group). This decision led to Materazzi's departure from Ferrari and employment at the Cagiva motorcycle company, upon invitation from its MD Claudio Castiglioni.
Motorcycles & Bugatti (1989–1997)
![2007-06-15 18 Bugatti EB 110 (bearb - kl)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/2007-06-15_18_Bugatti_EB_110_%28bearb_-_kl%29.jpg)
After leaving Ferrari, he joined
Cagiva
Cagiva is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1950 by Giovanni Castiglioni in Varese, originally producing small metal components. Giovanni's sons, Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni, went into the motorcycle industry in 1978. ...
as director of the racing department from 1990 to 1991. During this time he worked on engine and chassis technical developments for the GP500
Cagiva C589
The Cagiva C589 was a racing motorcycle made by Cagiva, which was used in the 500cc class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing during the 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1989 season. The name is formed by an amalgamation of words and letter ...
, C591 helping riders
Eddie Lawson,
Randy Mamola
Randy Mamola (born November 10, 1959) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between and . A 13-time Premier Class race winner, Mamola was one of the mo ...
,
Alex Barros
Alexandre Barros (born October 18, 1970) is a Brazilian former professional motorcycle road racer who is a 7-time 500cc/MotoGP race winner and also a race winner in Superbike World Championship. After a long Grand Prix career, in 2006 he moved ...
&
John Kocinski
John Kocinski (born March 20, 1968 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is a retired American Grand Prix motorcycle road racer whose successes include winning the 1990 250cc World Championship, and the 1997 Superbike World Championship title.[Massimo Tamburini
Massimo Tamburini (November 28, 1943 – April 6, 2014) was an Italian motorcycle designer for Cagiva, Ducati, and MV Agusta, and one of the founders of Bimota. Tamburini's designs are iconic in their field, with one critic calling him the "Michel ...]
was responsible for the body and aerodynamics of the motorcycles.
At the end of 1991 he was contacted by
Romano Artioli to take over the
Bugatti EB110
The Bugatti EB 110 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. from 1991 until 2002, when the company was liquidated. It was the only production model made by Romano Artioli's Italian incarnation of Bugatti.
History
Deve ...
project which was in serious difficulty after the departure of
Paolo Stanzani
Paolo Stanzani (20 July 1936 – 18 January 2017) was an Italian mechanical engineer and automotive design
Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles - including auto ...
. During this time he engineered the switch from the prototype aluminium honeycomb chassis to a carbon-fibre chassis, resolved issues with engine reliability and adapted the torque distribution to improve the vehicle handling. He also played a key role in the specification of the SS lightweight version. So good was the EB110 compared to its rivals during a group test by Michael Schumacher that he ordered one in yellow colour with blue comfort interior.
In 1994, Materazzi assumed the technical direction of
Laverda
Laverda (''Moto Laverda S.A.S. – Dottore Francesco Laverda e fratelli'') was an Italian manufacturer of high performance motorcycles. The motorcycles in their day gained a reputation for being robust and innovative.
The Laverda brand was abso ...
to work on the new 750cc engine.
B Engineering Edonis (2000–2005)
![Edonis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Edonis.jpg)
The Edonis is the swan song of the Italian engineer. Development started in 2000 in order to present the car by 1 Jan. 2001. He designed the
Edonis
The B Engineering Edonis is a sports car developed in the year 2000 and manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer B Engineering with overall engineering by Nicola Materazzi (ex Lancia, Ferrari & Bugatti) and styling by Marc Deschamps ( ...
supercar which was presented in Modena in 2001. In the summer of 2002 French magazine Sport-Auto organised a comparison amongst supercars at the Nardo' circuit in Puglia, southern Italy. The winner was the 715 horsepower Edonis, fitted with Michelin Pax System tyres, which clocked up a record speed for the circuit of 359.6 km/hr.
Personal life
During his youth, Materazzi was a keen motorcyclist and passionate about go-karts. After his studies in Naples, he lived the majority of his life near Turin and Modena for work reasons. His hobby from an early age was literature, and, over the years, he built a very detailed library of technical and non-technical books.
As a knowledgeable expert in engines and engineering calculations, he was interviewed by several book authors as the authority on the Ferrari turbocharged cars of the 1980s and contributed to other worldwide articles about engine technology.
He also periodically gave talks about cars and engineering. As a lover of the sea, following his retirement in 2006, he returned to his native region of Cilento, where his family had roots.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Materazzi, Nicola
1939 births
2022 deaths
Italian engineers
People from the Province of Salerno
University of Naples Federico II alumni
Ferrari people