Unforgettable Car Geniuses: Gioachino Colombo

On Ferragosto 1945, sketching on the garden table at his sister’s house, Gioachino Colombo drafted designs for what would become the first Ferrari in history: the 125. Enzo Ferrari was in a rush to make his dream as a car manufacturer come true. The war had ended in Italy on April 25th, and Enzo, then 48, immediately sought a technician to support him in his ambitious goal. He had one specific person in mind—the one who had worked with him in Modena in 1938 to create the Alfa Romeo 158, destined for “voiturette” races: Gioachino Colombo, a Milanese who was then working at Alfa Romeo, where he had already built significant engines like that of the P2.

The idea of designing the first Ferrari captivated him instantly during their meeting. He accepted. He and Enzo, notoriously demanding and gruff, had worked well together and understood each other. Alfa Romeo would become Ferrari’s first rival, an Alfa that triumphed both in 1950 with Nino Farina and in 1951 with Juan Manuel Fangio, powered by the very engine Colombo had created for Scuderia Ferrari back in 1938.