Giulio Alfieri (automotive engineer)

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Giulio Alfieri (born July 10, 1924 in Parma ; † March 20, 2002 in Modena ) was an Italian automobile and two-wheeler engineer. Alfieri shaped the models of the sports car manufacturer Maserati in the 1950s and 1960s ; in the history of the brand, this phase is often referred to as "the Alfieri era".

Life

Alfieri studied at the Milan Polytechnic . After completing his training, he first worked in the shipping industry; here he developed steam turbines. In 1949 he joined Innocenti , where he met with the construction of scooters type Lambretta employed.

From August 1, 1953, Alfieri worked for Maserati. There he took over the post of chief engineer in 1955. He was responsible for the technology of a large number of well-known and successful racing and street sports cars. Racing cars designed by Alfieri include the Formula 1 model 250F , the 300S and the Birdcage . The 250F is widely regarded in literature as Alfieri's best work.

In the mid-1950s, Alfieri designed the 3500 GT , the first Maserati model to be produced in large numbers. He considered the coupe, which was central to the continued existence of the brand, to be his best construction. Other street sports cars from Alfieri were the Sebring , the Mistral , the Mexico , the Indy , the Quattroporte I and the Ghibli . After Maserati was taken over by Citroën , Alfieri also took on development work for the French car manufacturer. Among other things, he designed the six-cylinder engine for the Citroën SM . The Bora , the brand's first mid-engine sports car , was also created for Maserati . Alfieri's last Maserati construction was the Khamsin , a classic Gran Turismo .

When Maserati was taken over by Alejandro de Tomaso in 1975 , Alfieri's 20 years at the Modenese company ended. De Tomaso had already tried in 1968 to take over Maserati from the owners at the time, the Orsi family. The project had failed primarily due to the resistance of Giulio Alfieri. After de Tomaso finally bought the company in August 1975, he fired Alfieri on the day the business was taken over. His successor was Aurelio Bertocchi, the son of long-time Maserati test driver Guerrino Bertocchi.

Alfieri then switched to Lamborghini , where he was involved in the development of the S version of the Countach as well as the Silhouette and its successor, the Jalpa 3500 . Alfieri was also involved in the first considerations for a Lamborghini off-road vehicle. This project, which began in 1977, later became the LM002 . Alfieri stayed with Lamborghini until 1987. He also worked temporarily for Laverda .

Gallery: Alfieri's constructions

  • Maserati 250F

  • Maserati 3500 GT

  • Maserati Quattroporte I.

  • Maserati Bora

  • Maserati Khamsin

  • Engine of the Citroën SM

  • Lamborghini Countach S.

literature

  • Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter, 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 .
  • Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna, 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Engineer Giulio Alfieri passes away. (No longer available online.) In: aserati.com. March 21, 2002, formerly in the original ; accessed on August 16, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.maserati.com
  2. ↑ a b c Martin Buckley: Maserati, p. 116.
  3. ↑ Bruno von Rotz: Classic Gran Turismo with a trident. Berner Zeitung, June 19, 2012, accessed on August 16, 2012 .
  4. ↑ PEOPLE: GIULIO ALFIERI. Grandprix.com, accessed August 16, 2012 .
  5. ↑ Andreas Schätzl: When the hour strikes. Good things take time or how a straggler became one of the best super sports cars of the 1970s. Süddeutsche.de, accessed on August 16, 2012 .
  6. ^ AT McKenna: Lamborghini (Ultimate Cars) Online
  7. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 53.
personal data
SURNAME Alfieri, Giulio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian engineer
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Parma
DATE OF DEATH March 20, 2002
Place of death Modena