MDF Magazine Issue 64 April 2021

National News
Did you know?
Alfredo Ferrari
Published online by Wikipedia
Alfredo Ferrari (nicknamed
Alfredino or Dino) (1932–1956)
was an Italian automotive engineer
and the first son of automaker
Enzo Ferrari. He had
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
and died at the age of 24. After
his death, Ferrari named the car
fitted with the engine that Alfredo
was working on at the time of his
death "Dino" in his honour.
Early life
Born to Enzo Ferrari and his wife
Laura Dominica Garello, Alfredo
was named after his paternal
grandfather. Enzo, who at the
time was a racing driver for Alfa
Romeo, had vowed to stop racing
cars if he had a son. True to his
word, he retired from driving in
1932 and concentrated on racing
team management with his newly
formed Scuderia Ferrari.
From an early age Enzo groomed
Alfredino, "little Alfredo", to be his
successor. Alfredo studied economics
in Bologna before moving
to mechanical engineering in
Switzerland.
Career at Ferrari
In his short career at Ferrari,
Alfredo was widely credited for
the 750 Monza racing car and
to a limited extent a 1.5 litre V6
that would later see action in
Ferrari's early Formula racers.
Alfredo suggested to his father
8
the development of a 1.5 litre
DOHC V6 engine for F2 at the
end of 1955. Two years later in
1957, to honour his son, Enzo
named the Dino series of racing
sports cars using this V6 engine
after him. Road cars under the
same marque soon followed.
Death
During his time at Ferrari, Alfredo
started experiencing health problems.
His physical movements
gradually became stiff and
he was often unable to maintain
his balance. At his return
to Modena, he was diagnosed
with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
In the final days of his life,
while hospitalized, he discussed
technical details of the 1.5-litre
V6 with fellow engineer Vittorio
Jano. Alfredo would never see
the engine; he died in Modena
on 30 June 1956 at the age of 24.
The death of Alfredo took a toll
on his parents' marriage, as his
mother never got over the loss of
her only son and her behaviour
became increasingly erratic and
unstable.
The Autodromo Enzo e Dino
Ferrari in Italy was originally
named the "Autodromo Dino
Ferrari" in Alfredo's honour, with
his father's name added after
Enzo's death in 1988.
Article available at: https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_
Ferrari#:~:text=He%20had%20
Duchenne%20muscular%20
dystrophy,%22Dino%22%20
in%20his%20honour