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Technology in race cars (38): Colombo 1175 - The jet hunter

Name: Colombo 1175 1975
Brand: Colombo

Created on November 15, 2023

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Archiv: Gerhard Schütz

Markus Pfäffli

Archiv: Gerhard Schütz

Markus Pfäffli

Colombo 1175 - This is what the 1175 might have looked like. Here in the imaginary Bugatti design, a reminiscence of Colombo's Bugatti 251 from 1956

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Colombo 1175 - The two De Dion axles, the twin wheels, the transverse engine and the revolutionary rear diffuser are clearly visible

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Colombo 1175 - A revolutionary concept. The tubular frame chassis and the De Dion suspensions are indicated. At the front, the spring-controlled air flap for the engine cooling and diffuser air.

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Bugatti 251 - De Dion suspension at the rear and front of the Bugatti 251 (schematic drawing). Note the two vertical guide rails for the transverse guidance of the tube.

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Bugatti 251 - The unfinished central engine revolution 1956 (Arrow: Gioachino Colombo)

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Ferrari 312 T2 - Ferrari tested a De-Dion axle (lattice construction instead of tubular) on the T2 in 1976. Transverse guidance via lower wishbones or Watt linkage

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Colombo 1175 - De-Dion rear axle with two tubes

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Colombo 1175 - Complex double wheel design.

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Ferrari 312 T2 - Double wheel on Ferrari

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Ferrari 312 T2 - Dual wheel test 1976: The trade press is hyperventilating all'italiana.

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Colombo 1175 - Cross-section in the cockpit area. Outside the air ducts, inside the side tanks.

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Colombo 1175 - Exhaust gases as cooling and output air accelerator

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Gioachino Colombo, a life at the drawing board

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Lotus - Sketch of the 1977 Lotus with De Dion suspension

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Summary

With the design of the Colombo 1175, its creator Gioachino Colombo was ahead of his time. His racing car remained a phantom - it never saw a racetrack. But many of the ideas and concepts of the Colombo 1175 were to be seen in Formula 1 many years later.

This article contains the following chapters

Well-known solution: the De Dion suspension
The De Dion suspension on the 1175
Revolutionary solution: dual wheels with differential
Novel brakes
Chassis
Air-cooled eight-cylinder in-line engine
Air flow
Colombo - a visionary

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The years 1958-1978 were the two most creative decades in the history of racing technology. This series portrays the most innovative, pioneering and exotic designs of Formula 1, Indy cars, sports cars and Can-Am, and at the same time traces the major lines of development that still have an impact today. The Colombo 1175 from 1975 is the only car in this series that has never seen a racetrack, indeed it was never even built. But this futuristic project deserves to be lifted from the archives, especially as it addresses the most pressing chassis and aerodynamic issues of the 1970s in a very surprising way.

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