When a supercar is consecrated in the collective imagination as an absolute masterpiece, we do not always remember the men who made such a success. Yet very often there are those who are able to indissolubly link his name to jewels on wheels. How Nicola Materazzian engineer of Salerno origins who died at the age of 83 and who during his career has been able to boast of having taken part not only in the success of Ferrari F40 but also to the development of other models that have written pages in the history of the car world.
Materazzi’s career in Maranello began in 1979, almost 10 years before the project of the car that was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first car of the Cavallino took shape. A project that also marked one of the last direct involvement of the Drake, Enzo Ferrari. 1,311 units were produced from 1987 to 1992, with the model that immediately captivated the masses, bringing as a dowry a supercharged 90 ° V8 engine with two turbos capable of delivering 478 hp and 577 Nm of maximum torque at 4,000 rpm. min. Numbers that allowed unique performances, with a top speed of 324 km / h and the possibility of sprinting from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.1 seconds. In his early years in Ferrari then there was not only the F40 with the mechanical engineer who also participated in the birth of the 288 GTO. However, Materazzi’s work did not only become significant in the heart of the Motor Valley. A few years earlier, in Turin, he had been involved in the development project of the Lancia Stratosto then devote himself to supercharging and directly follow the path of the competition versions of this model used in Group 5 of the world rally championship.
After a brief interlude in the world of two wheels with the CagivaNicola Materazzi took part in another project that has become a legend, that of Bugatti EB110: these were the years of the Blue Factory and of Romano Artioli who chased a dream with that supercar. First entrusted to Paolo Stanzani, the genesis of this car was then followed for a short time by the architect Giampaolo Benedini until it was entrusted to the engineer from Salerno and Pavel Rajmis, known for his work with the Audi Sport quattro. Thus was born a light and powerful racing car, equipped with an innovative carbon fiber monocoque tub frame, powered by a V12 engine capable of delivering 560 HP at 8,000 rpm and 608 Nm of maximum torque, for a shot from 0 to 100 km / h in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 342 km / h.
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