Carlo Chiti facts for kids
Carlo Chiti (born December 19, 1924 – died July 7, 1994) was a brilliant Italian designer of racing cars and their engines. He is most famous for his long work with Alfa Romeo's racing team. He also helped design cars for Ferrari. One of his most famous designs was the Ferrari 156 Sharknose car. This car helped Phil Hill win the Formula One championship in 1961.
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Early Life and Learning
Carlo Chiti was born in Pistoia, a town in Tuscany, Italy. He loved airplanes and how things fly. In 1953, he finished his studies at the University of Pisa. He earned a degree in aeronautical engineering. This means he learned how to design aircraft and spacecraft.
Working with Famous Car Brands
Starting at Alfa Romeo
Chiti joined Alfa Romeo in 1952, even before he finished college. He worked with a team of top engineers. They included Orazio Satta Puliga, Rudolf Hruska, and Giuseppe Busso. His first big project was designing the Alfa Romeo 3000 CM sports car.
Moving to Ferrari
In the mid-1950s, Alfa Romeo stopped its racing program. Chiti was then asked to join Scuderia Ferrari, another legendary Italian car company.
At Ferrari, Chiti helped design the Ferrari 246 F1 car. This car won the 1958 championship with driver Mike Hawthorn. In 1961, Chiti designed the famous Ferrari 156 Sharknose. This car helped Phil Hill win the Formula One championship for Ferrari. Chiti also helped teach new designers like Mauro Forghieri.
In 1962, Chiti and some other important people left Ferrari. This happened after they had a disagreement with Enzo Ferrari, the company's founder.
The ATS Project
After leaving Ferrari, Chiti joined a new Formula One team called ATS. This team was started by people who also left Ferrari. Drivers like Phil Hill joined them. However, the ATS project was not very successful.
Back to Alfa Romeo
In 1964, Chiti started a new project called Autodelta. This allowed him to work with Alfa Romeo again. He designed powerful engines for their Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 sports cars. First, he made a V8 engine, then a flat-12 engine. These engines helped Alfa Romeo win the World Championship for Makes in 1975 and the 1977 World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977.
Formula One with Brabham
Chiti also got involved in Formula One again. His Alfa Romeo engines were used by the Brabham team. In 1978, Niki Lauda won two races using a Brabham car with an Alfa Romeo engine. The Brabham designer, Gordon Murray, asked Chiti to create a V12 engine. This engine would help the cars use a special design called ground effect.
However, the partnership between Alfa Romeo and Brabham ended in 1979. Chiti then started working on designing a full Formula One car for Alfa Romeo.
Alfa Romeo's Own F1 Team
The Alfa Romeo Formula One team had some good moments. Bruno Giacomelli even led a race in 1980 before having problems. Sadly, driver Patrick Depailler died while testing for a race in 1980. The team's best year was 1983. Chiti designed a special turbocharged V8 engine. This helped Alfa Romeo finish 6th in the championship. Driver Andrea de Cesaris earned two second-place finishes that year.
Motori Moderni
In 1984, Carlo Chiti left Alfa Romeo to start his own company called Motori Moderni. This company focused on making engines for Formula One.
Initially, they made a V6 turbo engine. It was used by teams like Minardi. However, the company didn't have a lot of money, so their engines weren't always the best. When Formula One decided to ban turbo engines, Chiti designed a new 3.5-liter flat-12 engine. This engine was later used by Subaru in 1990 for their brief and unsuccessful entry into Formula One with the Coloni team.
Later Life
Carlo Chiti passed away in 1994 in Milan, Italy.
Years later, in 1999, a car company called Koenigsegg bought Chiti's designs and tools for an unused 4-liter flat-12 Formula One engine.
Sources
- www.grandprix.com
- www.gpracing.net192.com
- www.historicracing.com
- FORIX.com: Grand Prix engine designers
