Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

mahatmakanejeeves

(61,319 posts)
Thu Aug 25, 2022, 01:57 PM Aug 2022

The Father of the Ferrari F40 and Bugatti EB110, Nicola Materazzi Has Died

The Father of the Ferrari F40 and Bugatti EB110, Nicola Materazzi Has Died

Materazzi was an expert in turbocharging and had a hand in developing some of the world's greatest racing machines and supercars.

By Bob Sorokanich
Today 9:00AM

Nicola Materazzi, the engineer behind such legendary vehicles as the Ferrari 288 GTO and F40, the Bugatti EB110, and Lancia Stratos, has died this week. He was 83.

Materazzi witnessed and participated in the most revolutionary era in the history of sports cars and motorsports. Born in Cilento in southern Italy in 1939, Materazzi started his automotive engineering career with Lancia in Turin.

After a few years working on mainstream Lancia models, beginning in 1970 Materazzi got involved in Lancia’s outrageously ambitious World Rally Championship contender, the Stratos. Soon, Materazzi became a preeminent expert in turbocharging, engineering powerplants for Ferrari’s Formula 1 team in the early 1980s.

Soon, Materazzi would apply his turbocharging knowledge to roadgoing vehicles. He developed the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that powered the Ferrari 288 GTO, and refined the architecture and layout of that vehicle, shifting it from a transverse to a longitudinal drivetrain layout. By 1984, Materazzi was named chief engineer at Ferrari, overseeing the development of the GTO Evoluzione and the last vehicle ever built under the supervision of founder Enzo Ferrari, the legendary F40.

{snip}
Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Automobile Enthusiasts»The Father of the Ferrari...