Former Ferrari designer and mechanical engineer Mauro Forghieri died at age 87 Wednesday.
The legendary designer followed his father’s footsteps and joined Ferrari in 1959, according to a Formula 1 statement. He was named head of Ferrari’s racing department at age 27, according to The Official Ferrari Magazine. He oversaw many championship-winning Ferraris from 1963-87.
Forghieri has been linked with Ferrari for nearly 40 years and is one of the most significant figures in the company’s history, the brand said in a Facebook post. He won 54 Formula 1 races and 11 world championships, according to The Official Ferrari Magazine.
“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,” Ferrari Vice Chairman Piero Ferrari said in a statement.
Forghieri transformed the 250 GTO and was behind the big wing design on F1 cars, like the 312 F1. He designed iconic cars for racers such as Niki Lauda.
Forghieri also was Lamborghini’s F1 chief engineer, Bugatti’s technical director and worked for Oral Engineering in Italy.
“He was a huge part of F1 and Ferrari and leaves behind an incredible legacy for all of us,” Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in a Twitter post.
