Ferrari 375 F1
Encyclopedia
- See also the 275Ferrari 275The Ferrari 275 was a 2-seat front-engined Gran Turismo automobile produced by Ferrari between 1964 and 1968. It used a 3.3 L Colombo 60° V12 engine and produced 280-300 hp. The Pininfarina-designed body was a graceful evolution of the car's predecessor, the 250, and strongly contrasted...
, 340Ferrari 340The Ferrari 340 MM was a Ferrari race car. It was a more powerful version of the 340 Mexico which was intended for the Carrera Panamericana. The use of Weber carburettors helped the 340 achieve , some 20 more than its Mexico counterpart.-Bibliography:...
, and 375Ferrari AmericaThe first America cars were the 340, produced between 1950 and 1952. Using the new Lampredi V12 developed for Formula One racing, the 340 America could produce over...
road cars sharing the same engine
After finding only modest success with the supercharged 125 F1
Ferrari 125 F1
The 125 F1 was Ferrari's first Formula One car. It shared its engine with the 125 S sports racer which preceded it by a year, but was developed at the same time by Enzo Ferrari and famed designer, Gioacchino Colombo....
car in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
decided to switch for 1950 to the naturally aspirated 4.5 L formula for the series. Calling in Aurelio Lampredi
Aurelio Lampredi
Aurelio Lampredi was an Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer.Born in Livorno, he began his career at Piaggio, makers of the Vespa scooter, but quickly moved up to larger engines...
to replace Gioacchino Colombo
Gioacchino Colombo
Gioacchino Colombo was an Italian automobile engine designer.Colombo was born in Legnano. He began work as an apprentice to Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo. In 1937, Colombo designed the 158 engine for the Alfetta and caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari asked Colombo to design a small V12...
as technical director, Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian race car driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari car manufacturer...
directed that the company work in stages to grow and develop an entirely new large-displacement V12 engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
for racing.
The first outcome of Lampredi's work was the experimental 275 S. Just two of these racing barchetta
Barchetta
A barchetta was originally an Italian style of open 2-seater sports car which was built for racing. Weight and wind resistance were kept to a minimum, and any unnecessary equipment or decoration were sacrificed in order to maximize performance....
s were built, based on the 166 MM
Ferrari 166
Ferrari used its 2 L V12 engine in a number of models, all called 166 for the displacement of a single cylinder. Most early 166es were sports cars built for racing, though a later line of GT cars launched the company's street model line.The following models used the 166 name:* 1948 Ferrari...
but using the experimental 3.3 L V12. These were raced at the Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
of 1950 on April 23, 1950. Although one car held the overall lead for a time, both were forced to retire with mechanical failure before the end.
The 275 F1 bowed at the Grand Prix of Belgium
1950 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1950 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 18, 1950 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fifth round of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship.-Report:...
on June 18, sporting the same 3.3 L (3322 cc/202 in³) version of Lampredi's new engine
Ferrari Lampredi engine
Aurelio Lampredi designed a number of racing engines for Ferrari. He was brought on to hedge the company's bets with a different engine family than the small V12s designed by Gioacchino Colombo. Lampredi went on to design a number of different straight-4, straight-6, and V12 engines through the...
. With three Weber 42DCF carburettors, a single overhead camshaft for each bank of cylinders, and two valves per cylinder, the engine produced a capable 300 hp (224 kW) at 7200 rpm. Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
drove the car to fifth place, marking the end of the 3.3 L engine.
The 275 was replaced at the Grand Prix of Nations at Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
on July 30, 1950 by the 340 F1. As the name suggests, the car sported a larger 4.1 L (4101.66 cc/250 in³) version of Lampredi's V12. Other changes included a new de Dion tube
De Dion tube
A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. It is a sophisticated form of non-independent suspension and is a considerable improvement over the alternative swing axle and Hotchkiss drive types. A de Dion suspension uses universal joints at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a...
rear suspension based on that in the 166 F2 car and four-speed gearbox. It had a longer 2420 mm (95 in) wheelbase, but other dimensions remained the same. With 335 hp (250 kW), Ascari was able to keep up with the Alfa Romeo 158 of Juan Manuel Fangio
Juan Manuel Fangio
Juan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro , was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing...
but retired with engine trouble. Although the 340 proved itself capable, it was only the middle step in Ferrari'a 1950 car development.
1950 Italian Grand Prix
The 1950 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 3, 1950 at Monza. It was the seventh and final event of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship...
on September 3, 1950. This 4.5 L (4493.73 cc/274 in³) engine produced roughly the same power as its 4.1 L predecessor, but its tractability earned Ascari second place in that debut race. A series of modifications through the 1951 season allowed Ferrari to finally put Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo in Formula One
Alfa Romeo participated in Formula One, as both a constructor and engine supplier, from to .-Success, 1950-1951:In 1950 Nino Farina won the inaugural Formula One World Championship in a 158 with supercharger, in 1951 Juan Manuel Fangio won while driving an Alfetta 159...
behind it in a Formula One race, with Jose Froilan Gonzalez
José Froilán González
José Froilán González is an Argentine former racing driver, particularly notable for scoring Ferrari's first win in a Formula One World Championship race at the 1951 British Grand Prix. He made his Formula One debut for Scuderia Achille Varzi in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix...
' victory at Silverstone
1951 British Grand Prix
The 1951 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 July 1951 at the Silverstone Circuit in Buckinghamshire, England. It was the fifth round of the 1951 World Drivers' Championship...
on July 14 becoming the constructor's first World Championship win. Ascari's wins at the Nürburgring
1951 German Grand Prix
The 1951 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 29, 1951 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was the sixth round of the 1951 World Drivers' Championship.-Qualifying:-Race:- Drivers' Championship standings after the race :...
and Monza
1951 Italian Grand Prix
The 1951 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 16, 1951 at Monza. It was the seventh round of the 1951 World Drivers' Championship.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 1:53.2...
and strong finishes throughout the season cemented the company's position as a Formula One contender.
Changes in the Formula One regulations led the company to shift the big engine to an Indy car
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, the 1952 375 Indy. Three new Weber 40IF4C carburettors brought power output to 400 hp (298 kW), the wheelbase was lengthened, and the chassis and suspension were strengthened. Although the car performed well in European testing, it was not able to meet the American challenge, with just one of four 375s even qualifying for the 1952 race.
The big V12 was scrapped for 1954 as Formula One required a 2.5 L engine. The new 553 F1 adopted Lampredi's four cylinder engine, leaving the V12 for sports car use.
The 375 was driven during the 2011 British Grand Prix
2011 British Grand Prix
The 2011 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 10 July 2011, at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England, and won by Fernando Alonso....
weekend by current Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
as a tribute to the sixtieth anniversary of the Ferrari's first World Championship Grand Prix win at the 1951 British Grand Prix
1951 British Grand Prix
The 1951 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 July 1951 at the Silverstone Circuit in Buckinghamshire, England. It was the fifth round of the 1951 World Drivers' Championship...
at Silverstone, with Argentinean driver José Froilán González
José Froilán González
José Froilán González is an Argentine former racing driver, particularly notable for scoring Ferrari's first win in a Formula One World Championship race at the 1951 British Grand Prix. He made his Formula One debut for Scuderia Achille Varzi in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix...
driving at the time.