THE TESTA ROSSA LEGEND BEGINS Though he is best remembered for designing the long-block V-12 engine that Ferrari rode all the way to a victory at the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans, engineer Aurelio Lampredi was also responsible for a very successful four-cylinder motor.

The mainstay of Ferrari’s dominating 1952 and 1953 World Drivers’ Championships in Formula Two competition (the years during which Formula One was essentially canceled due to a lack of competition), this engine was soon transposed to sports car racing, powering the 500 Mondial and 750 Monza models to numerous wins.

The engine’s strengths were particularly evident on shorter winding circuits, where the high-revving, lightweight motor could power through the turns, often leaving V-12-powered competitors in the dust.

After Lampredi’s exit in 1955, a new engineering team led by ex-Alfa Romeo maestro Vittorio Jano was charged with developing the four-cylinder engine even further, and their work most auspiciously featured the f...