Carlo Chiti

Aeronautical engineer who ran Autodelta as Alfa Romeo's racing department and, on 17 December 1966, entrusted Franco Scaglione with the body for a road Tipo 33, the 33 Stradale.

He was born in Pistoia on 19 December 1924 and graduated in aeronautical engineering at the University of Pisa. After a job at Montecatini he entered Alfa Romeo's experimental department at Portello in 1952 and worked on the 3000 CM sports car. Enzo Ferrari called him to Maranello in 1957 to replace Andrea Fraschetti as chief engineer. As chief engineer his Ferrari work included the 246 Dino and, for the new 1.5-litre formula, the rear-engined 156 with which Phil Hill won the 1961 Drivers' Championship.

After the November 1961 walkout from Ferrari he was chief designer, with Giotto Bizzarrini, of the ATS T-100, which raced and folded in 1963. On 5 March 1963 he and the Chizzola brothers founded Auto Delta at Feletto Umberto for the Giulia TZ. Alfa Romeo bought the firm in 1965 and made him general manager of Autodelta at Settimo Milanese. The Tipo 33, begun by Satta Puliga and Busso at Portello, then passed to him; Autodelta developed a new two-litre V8 on the factory H-frame.

On 17 December 1966 he formally entrusted Franco Scaglione with the body for a road Tipo 33. The 33 Stradale used the same aluminium-and-magnesium V8 on a steel frame with the wheelbase lengthened by 10 cm. It was shown at Monza on 10 September 1967 and then at the Turin Motor Show. Teodoro Zeccoli had won the racer's debut at Fléron on 12 March.