“Furia,” born Mauro Forghieri on January 13, 1935, in Modena, had a turbulent early life marked by frequent relocations due to political reasons tied to his father, Reclus. From Emilia to Milan, Pozzuoli, Lurate Caccivio near Como, and finally back to Modena, these moves shaped Forghieri into a resilient, curious, and inventive individual.
In one of his last conversations, he recalled, “When we lived in Pozzuoli at Parco Caruso, the Arco Felice harbor was nearby, where my father kept two small boats: a dinghy and a star. My father loved the sea, and thanks to him, so did I. One day, I snuck out alone with the dinghy without asking for permission. I set course for Ischia, feeling like a brave captain, until I saw my father approaching on a police motorboat to fetch me. Oh, and I was just seven years old at the time. I still remember the many slaps I got for that!”
Mauro Forghieri left an indelible mark on Ferrari’s history, contributing to seven Constructors’ Championships, four Drivers’ titles, and 54 GP victories. He also played a key role in nine more championships in sports and GT cars. While today’s Ferrari employs 1,500 people for two Formula 1 cars, Mauro Forghieri’s team of 170 managed multiple championships simultaneously.
Among countless stories from nearly three decades, one from 1979 stands out. Jody Scheckter was on his way to winning the championship with the 312 T4, while Forghieri was developing the turbocharged six-cylinder engine. He recounted, “We knew the turbo would have response delays, and we hadn’t yet tested the Comprex, a supercharging solution that behaved like a naturally aspirated engine. To partially mitigate the turbo lag, we decided to innovate the gearbox, creating a semi-automatic version. The advantage was that the driver could keep both hands on the wheel, with quicker gear shifts.”
“There was internal debate; some advocated for a sequential gearbox inspired by motorcycles. We opted for our design, adding hydraulic actuators and small cylinders to lighten the clutch and enable gear changes.”
“You won’t believe it, but we needed actuators and couldn’t find suitable ones. So, we used industrial machine tools from the workshop—big, heavy parts. We also attached a command pump to the transmission case. And all of this was done secretly, without Enzo Ferrari knowing.”
Forghieri explained that they tested the concept on an aspirated car, using buttons on the steering wheel instead of paddles. “We chose two buttons: one to upshift and one to downshift. Since it was experimental, electrical wires were visible.”
The initial tests were promising, with Gilles Villeneuve completing 100 laps at Fiorano, consistently faster than with the traditional gearbox. Yet Villeneuve was hesitant. Mauro Forghieri recounted, “Gilles got out of the car, visibly unhappy. He came to me and said, ‘Mauro, the gearbox works great, but those wires on the steering wheel worry me. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not use it and talk to the Commendatore.’”
Gilles Villeneuve expressed his concerns to Ferrari, who decided to halt the project to ease the driver’s discomfort. The semi-automatic gearbox was shelved until John Barnard introduced it in 1989.
The Ferrari 640, equipped with a semi-automatic gearbox, debuted with a victory at the 1989 Brazilian GP with Nigel Mansell. Unlike Mauro Forghieri’s design, it featured paddles behind the wheel instead of buttons. This innovation, inspired by Mauro Forghieri and his team, paved the way for advancements in both racing and road cars. The Ferrari 355 became the first road car to adopt the concept, which soon spread widely across the automotive industry.
Thank you, “Furia”…
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