Mauro Forghieri passed away yesterday at the age of 87. The engineer and designer has left an indelible mark on the history of motoring, making Scuderia Ferrari legendary in F1 and beyond. The disappearance of the historic technical director capable of winning 11 world titles (4 Drivers ‘titles and seven Constructors’ titles) in F1 from 1962 to 1984 could only find ample space in the newspapers currently on newsstands.
“Mauro Forghieri has turned off his engine – reads on Corriere della Sera in the titled article edited by Giorgio Terruzzi ‘Furia that stood up to Ferrari and knew how to make the Red team win – 54 victories in the GPs, 4 drivers’ world titles, 7 constructors. Resignation dated 1984, in contrast to the Fiat interventions at Ferrari. Prolonged relationship until 1987. He designed whole cars, single-seaters and prototypes. A tireless and frantic worker. Shirt sleeves, peremptory gestures, Colin Chapman’s envy for design freedom, Mr. Lotus. A long golden period that began in the 70s after experimenting with the key tools of aerodynamics. The magnificent 312B that he won with Regazzoni at Monza in 1970 is his. So the series that combined the initials 312 (three thousand displacement, 12 cylinders) with the letter T, transverse gearbox. Machines for Lauda’s magnificent and dramatic journey ”.
“The first success of a Forghieri-signed F1 came in 1963, in Germany, with John Surtees’ Ferrari 156 F1-63 – read the columns of Republic which title ‘Farewell to Forghieri, the brilliant designer who conquered Ferrari’ – in 1964 the first world title with Surtees and the first constructors’ championship. Forghieri first imagined and created F1 ailerons, and then in the seventies he designed the Ferrari 312 with transverse gearbox, driven by a “flat” 12-cylinder engine, the development of an idea developed for his degree thesis in mechanical engineering obtained in Bologna in 1959. Between the 1975 and 1979 that brilliant idea led to the victory of four constructors ‘world championships and three drivers’ titles with Niki Lauda (the 1975-1977 double) and Jody Scheckter. That of the South African will remain the last Drivers’ World Championship won by Ferrari until 2000, when Michael Schumacher will break the red curse at Suzuka ”.
“In 1962, Enzo Ferrari put a 27-year-old engineer from Modena, Mauro Forghieri, at the head of the racing team. The Drake liked to discover talents and once again the choice turns out to be a good one – the incipit of The print which opens the page dedicated to Forghieri titled ‘The red engineer’ – one of the most creative designers ever to enter the Maranello technical office goes with him, as well as an inexhaustible historical memory of the Ferrari and F1 of its time. Forghieri had a nickname, Furia, for the ease with which he turned on. Some period films show him having a lively discussion with the pilots, and not just with them. He also screamed at Enzo Ferrari, he could afford it due to the relationship of trust he had with him. At first Furia needed to defend itself, with the passing of the years and the successes there was no longer any need. But he always avoided calling the master an “engineer”, because the degree from the Polytechnic – he emphasized – requires sleepless nights to study, and should not be confused with that honoris causa “.
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