Info für Besucher ohne Javascript

Premium

Aurelio Lampredi - the man behind Ferrari's early success

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on January 20, 2021

Text:

Karl Ludvigsen

Photos:

Archiv Karl Ludvigsen

34

Archiv

1

Archiv Karl Ludvigsen

34

Archiv

1

Aurelio Lampredi with the Ferrari 4.1-liter V12 engine at the 1951 Turin Motor Show

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

A cross-section shows the inverted shape of the Reggiane-Caproni W-18's three rows of six cylinders and the double-walled design of its crankshaft housing

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

During the last years of the war, Aurelio Lampredi worked on the design of the Reggiane-Caproni W-18 with its three-speed supercharger and up to 1800 hp

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

For seven months in 1947, Lampredi helped to improve the drivetrain for Isotta Fraschini's advanced rear-engined 8C Monterosa.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Isotta Fraschini 8 C Monterosa (1947) - Touring Superleggera Aerolux bodywork

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When Lampredi (left) returned to Ferrari in 1947, he had to commit to working with Gioacchino Colombo (right), who was hired by Ferrari as a part-time consultant for three years.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Discussions before the Italian Grand Prix in Monza involved Lampredi (left), Enzo Ferrari and team manager Federico Giberti. It was the first race for the naturally aspirated engine with the targeted 4.5 liter displacement

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Lampredi in a light-colored suit enjoys the company of veteran journalist Giovanni Canestrini (left) and Alberto Ascari (right), accompanied by a fan. Ascari and Lampredi became a close-knit team.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The first serious Grand Prix for Lampredi's new, large V-12 was in Geneva on July 30, 1950

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

A section of an experimental Ferrari V-12 shows the features of Lampredi's design with screw-in cylinder liners

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The Alfas were absent on September 22, when Alberto Ascari won the non-championship San Remo Grand Prix from pole position in his Ferrari 375 F1. Teammate Serafini finished second.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

History was made at Silverstone on July 14, 1951, when Froilán González beat the Alfas in a Ferrari 375 F1

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

In 4.1-liter form, Lampredi's new V-12 powered the 340 America. One of these can be seen at Elkhart Lake in 1952 in the hands of Jim Kimberly. He remained faithful to the largest Ferrari sports cars available.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Enzo Ferrari and Aurelio Lampredi walk along the pits at Monza in 1951. Although two Alfas were the fastest in qualifying, two Ferraris took first and second place after the race.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

One of Lampredi's innovations was a brake with a special inner workings

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Lampredi (center) is present when team boss Nello Ugolini (left) discusses the race strategy with Froilán González before the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona at the end of 1951

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

At the end of the 1951 season, at the Grand Prix in Barcelona, Alberto Ascari (center) had a good chance of becoming world champion. He and Lampredi discuss his chances with Alfred Neubauer (left) from Mercedes-Benz

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

In Barcelona in 1951, Ugolini (on the counter) talks to Piero Taruffi. In front are Ascari (left), Villoresi (center) and Lampredi (right).

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Next to a revised 375 F1 from 1952, Lampredi (right) discussed the prospects with Luigi Bazzi, Enzo Ferrari's trusted technician for many years

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

One of the customers for a 1952 Ferrari 375 F1 for the Indianapolis race was Gerry Grant of Grant Piston Rings. He came to Maranello to see what he would get.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

In April 1952, two of the revised Ferrari 375 F1s dominated the Grand Prix in Turin. These were the cars that were sold to the teams in Indianapolis.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The Ferrari 375 F1 also dominated the Grand Prix in Boreham (England) in 1952 in its utlimative version with three quadruple carburetors

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The Lampredi V-12 was also used in 4.5-liter sports racers, such as this Ferrari 375 Plus, which is being inspected by Paolo Marzotto on the occasion of the 1954 Mille Miglia

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

In February 1952, Rodolfo Mailander photographed Lampredi's new Tipo 500 F2 on the test bench. The engine had dual ignition and four individual Weber carburetors

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Typical Lampredi features that appeared in the Tipo 500 were the cylinder liners screwed into the head and the double-walled crankshaft housing. The advanced valve control is also visible

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bazzi, Ferrari and Lampredi gathered to test the Tipo 500 four-cylinder on the test bench. They saw it as a forerunner for the new 2.5-liter Formula 1, which was to come in 1954.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Designed entirely by Lampredi, the Ferrari Tipo 500 F2 featured a DeDion rear axle, a ladder-type frame and a rear-mounted gearbox

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Former Ferrari driver Dorino Serafini pricks up his ears as Nino Farina and Lampredi discuss their chances for the 1952 Italian Grand Prix. Farina eventually finishes fourth, still on the same lap as winner Ascari.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Lampredi's completely new car for the 1954 F1 season was the Ferrari Tipo 553 Squalo with a tubular frame chassis, flank-mounted fuel tanks and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

At a time when rivals were simply adding cylinders, Ferrari and Lampredi decided to try a 2.5-liter, vertical two-cylinder with four valves per cylinder

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The two-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2.5 liters and four valves per cylinder did not prove itself, the vibrations it produced were too great

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

One of Lampredi's last projects for Ferrari was a 1.5-liter V-6 engine with a 65-degree angle for the Formula 2 car, planned for 1957, in which he realized the ideas of Ferrari's son Dino and the famous designer Vittorio Jano.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

In the UK, Fiat used Lampredi in its advertising. The focus was on his achievements in racing with Ferrari and his current designs at Fiat.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Lampredi had the combustion chamber shape newly designed for the Fiat 1800 patented. It got its name because of the three intersecting spherical shapes

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The Lampredi concepts for the Fiat 1800 were also applied to the Fiat 1500

You have only

1 out of 35

images seen in high resolution

Summary

By focusing on logic, quality and reliability, Aurelio Lampredi gave Ferrari's automobile designs the professionalism that was decisive for victory and success. He influenced the development of all vehicles, from road-going production cars to thoroughbred racing cars. This article looks back on the life's work of Aurelio Lampredi, illustrated with many rarely seen historical photographs and drawings.

This article contains the following chapters

First meeting with the Commendatore
Impressive wealth of experience at a young age
Co-developer of the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8C
Back to Ferrari
The leap into Formula 1
From the 1.5 to the 4.5-liter Grand Prix racing car
A better chassis for the powerful engine
The end of big engines in Formula 1
Performance in Indianapolis
The successful four-cylinder

Estimated reading time: 19min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Born in 1917, Aurelio Lampredi embarked on a remarkable career. At the age of 27, he was already working on the design of one of the most complex and advanced aircraft engines created during the Second World War. It was a W-18 engine with a displacement of 40 liters, capable of producing 1800 hp. After his retirement in 1977, he was able to look back on a 22-year career with one of the world's largest production car manufacturers, for which he had probably designed over 100 engines. However, he was best known for the eight years or so he spent at a small racing car manufacturer, Ferrari. Hardly anyone else can boast a similar career to Lampredi.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

Continue reading this article for free?

Images of this article

Source: