Legendary Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri dies at 87

Mauro Forghieri, the emblematic engineer who spearheaded Ferrari's technical department for over twenty years has passed away at 87.

Forghieri's contribution to the House of Maranello's glory in motorsport include the design and creation of winning cars and engines spanning two decades in Formula 1, Formula 2 and in the arena of Sports Car racing.

Born in 1935 in Modena, just a stone's throw from Maranello, Forghieri graduated as a mechanical engineer from the University of Bologna, after which he joined Ferrari as a trainee in the manufacturer's engine department.

In 1962, at just 26, Enzo Ferrari placed Forghieri at the helm of the Scuderia's design department where he succeeded chief designer Carlo Chiti who had walked out on the team along with his entire technical staff.

"When Enzo Ferrari called me to offer me the position, I thought that he was mad because I fully lacked the necessary experience," the Italian once remembered.

"I was only 26 and I was fresh out of university. He told me: 'You think about working as an engineer and don’t worry about anything else. I’ll be by your side'. And so he did.

"He always followed me, during good and bad times, often even when I was wrong, because he realised that when you have a manager and you show him that he was wrong, the manager automatically loses authority. That’s why he supported me".

While drivers came and went, remarkably, Forghieri remained Ferrari's lead designer until 1984.

In the early seventies, Ferrari's 312 P prototype machines penned by Forghieri were massively successful in sportscar racing, but success was hard to come by in Formula 1 during that period.

But in 1974, Forghieri led the Scuderia's turnaround in Grand Prix racing, with its winning 312 B3 and especially with its successor, the innovative 312T that featured a transverse gearbox and which carried Niki Lauda to the great Austrian's first world title in F1 in 1975.

Forghieri's creations earned Ferrari another world championship in 1979, with Jody Scheckter, and two additional Constructors' titles in F1 in 1982-83.

But as an era of specialization and especially aerodynamics in F1 rolled in, Forghieri's all-encompassing skills struggled to keep up with the sport's transformation, while internal politics also took their toll on the Scuderia, which ultimately led to the Italian engineer's demise in 1987.

Thereafter followed engineering stints at Lamborghini and later on at Bugatti before he wound down his career in motorsport.

Formula 1 chief executive and former top Ferrari man Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to Mauro Forghieri with a special message on social media.

"I am very saddened to hear the news that our friend Mauro Forghieri has passed away," wrote the Itlian.

"He was a huge part of F1 and Ferrari and leaves behind an incredible legacy for all of us. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this sad time."

Enzo Ferrari's son - Piero Lardi Ferrari - also expressed an homage to one of the Scuderia's most important figures in its history.

"I know my father appreciated his tireless work ethic and he knew that any mistakes only came about through an attempt to do something better and to look ahead," said Ferrari.

"We have lost a part of our history, a man who gave a great deal to Ferrari and to the world of racing in general."

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