After World War II, Enzo Ferrari began the work of retooling his small company from manufacturing parts for Italy’s war effort, to the manufacture of racing cars. Prior to the war, Ferrari had served as racing director for Alfa Romeo’s racing efforts, and as such, had been involved in the construction and campaigning of many of Alfa’s seminal racing cars, including the remarkable 1937 1.5-liter, supercharged Alfetta 158.
While heading this later project for Alfa, Ferrari was “loaned” the services of one of Alfa Romeo’s very talented designers, an engineer by the name of Gioacchino Colombo. As a result of this early collaboration, in 1947, when Ferrari embarked on the creation of his own eponymous racing car, he enlisted the services of Colombo to pen for him a bespoke engine. Whether due to Colombo’s previous experience with designing a V-12 engine for the prewar Alfa Romeo 12C, or due to Ferrari’s known affection for the V-12 engines found in early Packards and racing Delages, Colombo was directed to design a 1,496-cc V-12 for what would become known as the Ferrari Type 125. Unknown to either Ferrari or Colombo at the time would be the incredible legacy that this diminutive powerplant would forge over the course of the next 30 years.
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