- Vittorio Jano
Vittorio Jano ( _hu. János Viktor;
22 April 1891 –13 March 1965 ) was an Italianautomobile designer of Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.Jano was born "Viktor János" in
San Giorgio Canavese , inPiedmont , to Hungarian immigrants, who arrived there several years before the birth of Jano. He began his career at the car and truck company Rapid owned by G.B. Ceirano.Cite web|url=http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/LWFWIW/focusLWFWIW.php?db=LWF&db2=&n=78|title=Vittorio Jano|accessdate=2008-02-27|work=motorsportmemorial.org] In 1911 he moved toFiat underLuigi Bazzi . He moved with Bazzi to Alfa Romeo in 1923 and designed theAlfa Romeo P2 . The P2 was notorious, winning its first race, theFrench Grand Prix , with driverGiuseppe Campari but killing driverAntonio Ascari in the same race the next year. Alfa refused to race them, butEnzo Ferrari took them over, continuing to race P2s through the 1930s.Turning to
sports car racing in 1929, Jano designed the 1750 Sport and P3. Once again, Alfa turned away from Jano's cars and Ferrari took them over to great success. Now designingaircraft engines, Jano watched asTazio Nuvolari drove a P3 to victory in theGerman Grand Prix atNürburgring in 1935.Ferrari requested that Alfa have Jano work on a new car, the Alfetta, in 1937. In 1945, after
World War II , Jano moved toLancia 's Grand Prix efforts. His car, theLancia D50 , was introduced in 1954, but 1955's loss ofAlberto Ascari and the1955 Le Mans disaster soured the company to GP racing. Ferrari took over the effort and inherited Jano that same year.Jano's contribution to Ferrari was significant. With the encouragement of Enzo's son, Dino, Jano's
V6 andV8 engines pushed the older Lampredi and Colombo engines aside in racing. After Dino's death, Jano's "Dino" V6 became the basis for the company's first mid-engined road car, the 1966 206 Dino. The V6 and V8 went on to displace Ferrari'sV12 focus and their descendants continue to be used today.Like Enzo Ferrari, Jano lost his own son in 1965. He became gravely ill that same year and committed suicide in Turin.
References
External links
* [http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/jano_bio.htm Grand Prix History - Hall of Fame] , Vittorio Jano
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