Gioachino Colombo

Italian engine designer of Ferrari’s first V12, first drawn in 1945 and introduced in the 1947 125 S. Ferrari later enlarged the Colombo V12 to three litres for the 1959 250 GT SWB Berlinetta.

Gioachino Colombo was born in Legnano on 9 January 1903. He joined Alfa Romeo in 1924 and worked with Vittorio Jano on the P2. In 1937 Alfa sent him to Scuderia Ferrari in Modena for the voiturette project. The team led by Colombo developed the supercharged 1.5-litre straight-eight 158 with a rear-mounted transmission; it took a 1–2 at the August 1938 Coppa Ciano. Farina won the 1950 championship in the developed car.

MoMA holds Colombo’s 1945 Ferrari 125 drawings. Ferrari identifies the 1947 125 S as its first car and credits its V12 to Colombo, with contributions from Giuseppe Busso and Luigi Bazzi; its listed specification is 1,496.77 cc, a 60-degree V12, one overhead camshaft per bank, and three Weber 30 DCF carburettors. Ferrari later supercharged the engine for Formula One before moving its Formula One programme to Aurelio Lampredi’s larger naturally aspirated V12.

According to an Alfa-focused account, Colombo rejoined Alfa Romeo on 1 February 1951 and left on 31 August 1952. He moved to Maserati in late 1952; MAUTO credits the 2,493 cc six-cylinder 250F to Colombo and Vittorio Bellentani. In 1955 Bugatti engaged him to design the mid-engined Type 251. He later worked with MV Agusta from 1957 to 1970, and died in Milan in 1988.

Ferrari introduced the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta in Paris in October 1959. Its official record lists a front-mounted 2,953.21 cc 60-degree V12 with one overhead camshaft per bank and 280 hp. Ferrari’s later account of the model identifies that 3.0-litre unit as an enlarged Colombo V12.