Shown is the Ferrari 156 F1 racing car that would be driven in the 1963 Formula 1 season.
During
this first season of the 1.5 litre Formula 1 regulations the
Ferrari 156 'Sharknose' was virtually unbeatable
thanks to its very powerful V6 engine. Internal turmoil and rapid development
of the competition left the reigning champion outclassed in the following
season. Both the British engines and chassis were superior to the barely
developed 156 and the reigning champions failed to score a single victory in
1962. A very young Mauro Forghieri was given the task to turn Ferrari's
fortunes around after most of the senior engineers like 156 designer Carlo
Chiti had left during the 1961/62 winter.
Forghieri looked closely at the very light British cars and produced a new
chassis with much thinner steel tubing to form the spaceframe. This car was
raced twice in the second half of the 1962 season and proved to be a real step
forward. It was not a big enough step though to bridge the gap with Lotus, who
had introduced a monocoque type chassis that was even lighter and more rigid.
Forghieri combined the two to create the 'Aero' chassis, which had a basic
spaceframe chassis, which was in turn covered in sheets of duralumin. This
semi-monocoque configuration would form the basis for Ferrari F1
chassis design for years to come.
The 'Aero' chassis was part of a larger scheme, which also included the
development of two new engines. The first of these was a V8 engine
designed along the same lines as the successful Lotus and BRM engines.
This was supposed to race for the first time in 1963 and then be replaced with
a high revving flat 12 engine in 1965. There were continuous delays with the
development of both the new chassis and the engine throughout the 1963 season. The introduction of the latter was postponed to 1964,
while the 'Aero' chassis did race; powered by the 200 bhp version of the V6
engine.
Although the engine and the chassis were not designed together, Forghieri
managed to use the V6 as a partly load bearing member. It was mated to an all
new six speed gearbox. Although the 156 'Aero' weighed exactly the same as the
spaceframe 156/63, it was considerably more rigid. At the car's debut at
Delayed by almost a year the V8 finally made its debut in the 'Aero' chassis in
March of 1964. Forghieri had initially planned to use the engine as a fully
stressed member, but it soon became clear that the crankcase could not cope
with that. A similar subframe as was used for the V6 a year earlier was again
used to help support the load of the rear suspension. The V8 was both lighter
and more powerful and Ferrari was finally back on top. Against little
opposition, John Surtees drove the new '158' to a debut victory during the
Syracuse GP. Surtees recorded a string of podium finishes, including two
victories, which was sufficient to clinch the driver's title.
The flat 12 engine made its debut in the final two rounds of the 1964 season.
It was even more powerful and rigid enough to serve as a fully stressed member.
Forghieri intended to replace the 158 with the 1512 altogether, but Surtees
preferred the broader powerband of the V8 over the more powerful, but more
difficult to drive flat 12. Ferrari raced both cars side by side, but as in
1962, the World Champions did not manage to score a victory. For 1966 the rules
were drastically modified leaving both the V8 and flat 12 engined cars
obsolete. Forghieri's flat twelve design would bring great Grand Prix and
sports car successes in the 1970s.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of Ferrari‘s automotive history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 x 26 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
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After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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