Ferrari 125 F1

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Ferrari 125 F1
Manufacturer:	Ferrari
Production:	1948–1950
Successor:	Ferrari 275 F1
Class:	Formula One car
Engine:	1.5 L Colombo 125 V12
Wheelbase:	2160 mm (85 in) 2320 mm (91 in)
Length:	3685 mm (145 in)
Width:	1400 mm (55 in)
Height:	1025 mm (40 in)
Curb weight:	710 kg (1565 lb)
Designer:	Gioacchino Colombo

See also the 125 S, a sports racer sharing the same engine

The 125 F1 Ferrari's first Formula 1 car. It shared its engine with the 125 S sports racer which preceded it by a year, but was developed at the same time by Enzo Ferrari and famed designer, Gioacchino Colombo.

The 125 F1 used a supercharged 1.5 L V12 engine and sported a steel tube-frame chassis with longitudinal and cross members^[1]. It had a double wishbone suspension with a transverse leaf spring in front and a torsion bar in the rear which was upgraded to a de Dion tube for 1950. Worm and sector steering and four-wheel drum brakes were the norm for the time. The 2160 mm (85 in) wheelbase was uprated to 2320 mm (91 in) in the 1949 redesign.

The 125 F1 was powered by Gioacchino Colombo's 1.5 L (1497 cc/91 in³) 60° V12. It had a single overhead camshaft on each bank of cylinders with a 60° angle between the two banks. The endine had two valves per cylinder fed through one Weber 40DOC3 or 50WCF carburettor. With just a 6.5:1 compression ratio, the supercharged engine still produced 230 hp (172 kW) at 7000 rpm. However, the Roots-type single-stage supercharger was incapable of producing the high-end power required to compete with the strong eight-cylinder Alfa Romeo 158 and four-cylinder Maserati 4CLT. Strong driving and a nimble chassis, however, allowed the company to place third in its first outing, at the Valentino Grand Prix on September 5, 1948, and the company persevered in racing.

For 1949, the engine was further modified with dual overhead camshafts (though still two valves per cylinder) and a two-stage supercharger. This combination gave the car better top-end performance and the resulting 280 hp (209 kW) gave it five Grand Prix wins. Development continued the following year, but the problematic superchargers were dropped in favor of larger displacement and Lampredi's 275 engine superseded the original Ferrari engine.

[edit] Racing

The 125 F1 debuted at the Valentino Grand Prix on September 5, 1948. Three cars were fielded, with drivers Prince Bira of Siam, Nino Farina, and Raymond Sommer who placed third in the race.

Victories

Date	Location	Driver
October 24, 1948	Garda Circuit, Salò	Giuseppe Farina
July 3, 1949	Switzerland Grand Prix, Bern	Alberto Ascari
July 31, 1949	Zandvoort Grand Prix	Luigi Villoresi
August 20, 1949	Daily Express Trophy, Silverstone	Alberto Ascari
September 11, 1949	Italian Grand Prix, Monza	Alberto Ascari
September 25, 1949	Masaryk Circuit, Brno	Peter Whitehead
July 13, 1950	Jersey Road Race	Peter Whitehead
August 12, 1950	Ulster Trophy, Dundrod	Peter Whitehead
October 1, 1950	Interstate Race, Interlagos	Francisco Landi
January 25, 1951	São Paulo Grand Prix	Francisco Landi
May 20, 1951	Governador Noguera Garcez Race, Interlagos	Francisco Landi
June 28, 1951	Bõa Vista Grand Prix, Rio de Janero	Francisco Landi

[edit] References

• Ascerbi, Leonardo (2006). Ferrari: A Complete Guide to All Models. Motorbooks. ISBN 0-7603-2550-2.

[edit] Sources

1. ^ GILCO ferrari 125 GP chassis. Gilco Design. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.

		Ferrari Formula 1 cars ([edit])
40s		1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
125			275 340 375			553 625	555 D50		801	412 246	256		156			158 512		312				312 B					312 T						126 C				156	F1/8				641/2/3		F	F	412T1/2		310/B		300	399	F	F	F F	F F	F	F F	248