Gioacchino Colombo

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09 Jan 1903


27 Apr 1987




Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Ferrari, Maserati (1950-1957)


Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Maserati (1950-1956)

Legendary member of the Alfa Romeo team who was primarily an engine designer. He kept links with the sport, particularly with Ferrari, until his retirement. Colombo started his career as an apprentice with Alfa Romeo, working closely with the great Vittorio Jano. In 1937, Colombo designed the marque's 158 engine for the Alfetta, which convinced Enzo Ferrari to ask Colombo to design a V12 engine for race and road cars. This first appeared in 1947 and in various guises, appeared in their Formula 1 and sportscars until 1962. However the former was not as successful as the latter, so Colombo left Ferrari to join Alfa Romeo again, being involved in the equipe's great success in 1950. But this wasn't his finest achievement. Arguably his greatest legacy is designing the beautiful and successful Maserati 250F's, one of the most iconic of all race cars. After leaving Bugatti, Colombo worked for MV Augusta motorcycles until 1970.

Biography last updated 11 Dec 2016