Ferrari. Drawn for a future nobody could see.
In 1945 an out-of-work engineer drew an engine in two weeks that stayed in production for more than 40 years. It was built for the Italy that came next.
THE GIST ON FERRARI: "Ferrari"
Who drew the Ferrari engine?
In the summer of 1945, a 42-year-old engineer had been suspended from Alfa Romeo. Italy was in ruins, and he sat down at home and drew an engine in two weeks that stayed in production for more than 40 years.
A man with nothing drew it for a future no one else could see.
What was odd about the design?
When Colombo designed it, he spaced the cylinders further apart than they needed to be, with useless metal around them. That made it heavier, for seemingly no reason.
Except it meant every cylinder could be made bigger later, making it more powerful without needing to redesign it.
What did Ferrari do with it?
Exactly that, for four decades. It started at 1.5 litres and ended up at 4.9. It won Le Mans. It went into the 250 GTO, the Testarossa, the Daytona and almost every other Ferrari people picture, including the high, screaming note you think of as the sound of a Ferrari.
What did he really draw?
Fundamentally, what he drew in 1945 was Italy's comeback, 15 years before it happened. In a defeated country, a man out of work drew room for more power than anyone around him could pay for.
Then the Italy he'd drawn it for turned up: rich, confident and famous for making beautiful things. Most things are made for the world they're built in. This was built for the one that came next.
Is it smarter to build for today or for what comes next?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
Who designed the original Ferrari engine?
Colombo, a 42-year-old engineer suspended from Alfa Romeo, drew it at home in two weeks in the summer of 1945.
Why did he space the cylinders so far apart?
So every cylinder could be made bigger later, giving more power without a redesign. It grew from 1.5 litres to 4.9 over four decades.
Which cars used it?
The 250 GTO, the Testarossa, the Daytona and almost every other Ferrari people picture.
See you on the next one.
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