Colotti Trasmissioni

Colotti Trasmissioni is an Italian mechanical-engineering company based in Modena and associated particularly with high-performance driveline components for racing cars. Its work has included racing gearboxes, transaxles, differential assemblies, limited-slip differentials, and specialized transmission systems. The company grew out of the engineering practice established by Valerio Colotti, a designer and engineer linked to the Maserati 250F and to some of Ferrari's earliest Grand Prix engineering work. Colotti began the business in 1958 under the name Tec-Mec. An early project involved designing and manufacturing a differential gear set and housing for Rob Walker Racing. This work helped establish the firm in the Grand Prix engineering community. Colotti also became involved in complete racing-car construction. In 1959, he built the Tec-Mec F415, a Grand Prix car derived from the Maserati 250F, which was entered at the French Grand Prix with Fritz d'Orey. Around the same period, Alf Francis, Rob Walker Racing's chief engineer, worked with Colotti, and the enterprise was also known as Colotti-Francis. A related Formula Junior project, the T.C.A. or Trips Colotti Automobili, was developed for Graf von Trips but ended after the driver's death at Monza in 1961. The firm's most influential early products were compact racing transaxles designed for cars with rear-mounted engines and high-revving, relatively low-torque power units. For the 1.5-litre Formula One regulations introduced for 1960, Colotti designed the five-speed T.32 and six-speed T.34 transaxles. Their low weight made them suitable for lightweight single-seaters. Colotti also undertook work outside conventional racing, including a hovercraft transmission for Britten-Norman and a power-take-off or transfer system for cement-mixer trucks. A major part of the company's technical identity came from limited-slip differential development. At a time when racing constructors had few sources for effective slip-limiting mechanisms, Colotti developed and patented the Coppia-Frenata system. It became an alternative to the widely used ZF limited-slip differential and was adopted by Formula One and other racing teams. The company later developed the T.37 four-speed transaxle for an Indianapolis 500 project initiated by Colin Chapman. A modified T.37 was used in the Lotus 29, which achieved second- and seventh-place finishes at the 1963 Indianapolis 500 with Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. The same transaxle was subsequently used in the Lola Mk6 and in Ford's GT40 development program. During the 1980s and afterward, Colotti continued supplying competition driveline engineering. At the request of Gianpaolo Dallara, it developed a racing transaxle for the Lancia Montecarlo Group 5 program. The design incorporated a quick-response limited-slip differential known as Duo-Block. The Lancia program achieved victories in the World Endurance Championship in 1980 and 1981, and the Duo-Block design was patented. Colotti also worked in rallying, developing the patented Split-Diff center differential for four-wheel-drive competition cars. This system was designed to distribute or proportion torque between axles in response to the demands of rally use. The company's historical relationship with Ferrari also led to a significant restoration and reproduction project. Because Valerio Colotti had worked on Ferrari's early Grand Prix engineering, Piero Ferrari commissioned Colotti Trasmissioni to construct an exact replica of the Ferrari 125, using the original engine and drawings supplied by Ferrari's Maranello operation. The completed car is displayed at the Museo Ferrari in Maranello. Colotti's identity therefore combines specialist transmission manufacturing with a broader legacy in Grand Prix, endurance, Indianapolis, and rally engineering.

Valerio Colotti founded the business in 1958 as Tec-Mec after establishing himself as a racing-car engineer and chassis designer. His earlier work included involvement with the Maserati 250F and engineering contributions to Ferrari's first internally developed Grand Prix car. One of the new firm's early successes was a differential gear set and housing produced for Rob Walker Racing, which brought Colotti into the expanding network of Grand Prix constructors and engineering specialists. The company initially pursued both component engineering and complete racing-car projects. In 1959, Colotti constructed the Tec-Mec F415, a Grand Prix car based on the Maserati 250F. Fritz d'Orey drove the car to tenth place at the 1959 French Grand Prix. Alf Francis, then chief engineer at Rob Walker Racing, subsequently worked with Colotti, and the business became associated with the Colotti-Francis name. A Formula Junior car called the T.C.A., or Trips Colotti Automobili, was prepared for Graf von Trips. The project was discontinued after von Trips died during the 1961 Italian Grand Prix. Colotti's relationship with Rob Walker also led to suspension and transmission work on Walker's racing cars. For the Formula One rules introduced in 1960, the company designed the T.32 five-speed and T.34 six-speed transaxles. These units were notably light, weighing under 35 kilograms, and were intended for rear-engined cars using compact, high-revving 1.5-litre engines. The company also carried out non-racing engineering under the G.S.D., or Gear Speed Developments, name. Projects included a hovercraft transmission for Britten-Norman and a power-transfer mechanism for cement-mixer drums, replacing conventional long-chain drives. Limited-slip differential technology became central to the firm's reputation. Racing constructors had limited access to suitable differential systems, and Colotti developed the Coppia-Frenata mechanism as an alternative to the established ZF solution. The mechanism was patented and became associated with the company's racing products. Its adoption by Grand Prix and other competition teams helped make Colotti a recognized supplier of specialist driveline components. In 1962, Colin Chapman asked Colotti to create a robust transaxle for an Indianapolis 500 car. The resulting T.37 was a four-speed design intended for high-torque, small-block Ford-derived engines. In the Lotus 29, two of its gears were blocked off, and the car finished second and seventh in the 1963 Indianapolis 500 with Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. The complete T.37 was later used in the Lola Mk6 and in Ford's GT40 program. The business later expanded its racing-transmission work into endurance racing and rallying. Gianpaolo Dallara commissioned Colotti to develop and manufacture a competition transaxle for the Lancia Montecarlo Group 5 program. The design incorporated the Duo-Block quick-response limited-slip differential, which was patented. The Lancia effort won the World Endurance Championship in 1980 and 1981. Colotti also developed the Split-Diff center differential for four-wheel-drive rally cars, a patented system intended to manage torque distribution between the axles under competition conditions. Colotti's historical connection with Ferrari produced another notable project. Piero Ferrari commissioned the firm to build a replica of the Ferrari 125, Ferrari's first Grand Prix car built by the Maranello company. The replica used the original type of engine and drawings supplied by Ferrari. It is displayed at Museo Ferrari in Maranello, linking Colotti's modern transmission work with the earliest period of Ferrari's Grand Prix history.

• 1981

  Second endurance championship success

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  The Lancia program wins the World Endurance Championship for a second consecutive year with Colotti transmission technology.

• 1980

  Lancia endurance program success

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  The Colotti-developed Lancia Montecarlo Group 5 transaxle supports a World Endurance Championship victory.

• 1963

  Lotus 29 Indianapolis results

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  A modified T.37 contributes to the Lotus 29's second- and seventh-place finishes at the Indianapolis 500.

• 1962

  T.37 Indianapolis transaxle

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  Colotti designs the high-torque T.37 transaxle for an Indianapolis 500 project associated with Colin Chapman.

• 1960

  T.32 and T.34 transaxles

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  The company develops lightweight five-speed and six-speed transaxles for the new 1.5-litre Formula One era.

• 1959

  Tec-Mec F415 Grand Prix car

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  Colotti builds the Tec-Mec F415, based on the Maserati 250F; Fritz d'Orey drives it at the French Grand Prix.

• 1958

  Tec-Mec is founded

  [1]Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org

  Valerio Colotti establishes the engineering business that later becomes associated with the Colotti Trasmissioni name.

A specialist Italian motorsport engineering and transmission brand focused on lightweight, high-performance driveline systems, especially racing transaxles and limited-slip differentials.

• Racing transaxle · 1960

  T.32

  A lightweight five-speed transaxle developed for the 1.5-litre Formula One regulations introduced for the 1960 season. It was designed for rear-engined racing cars using compact, high-revving engines.

• Racing transaxle · 1960

  T.34

  A six-speed companion to the T.32, developed for lightweight Grand Prix cars in the early rear-engine era. Its low mass and close-ratio racing orientation suited the performance demands of contemporary single-seaters.

• High-torque racing transaxle · 1962

  T.37

  A four-speed transaxle created for a high-torque Indianapolis racing application using small-block Ford-derived engines. A modified version powered the Lotus 29 at the 1963 Indianapolis 500, while the full unit was later used in the Lola Mk6 and Ford GT40 programs.

• Limited-slip differential

  Coppia-Frenata

  A patented limited-slip differential mechanism developed as an alternative to the ZF systems commonly used by racing constructors. It became one of the company's defining competition technologies.

• Limited-slip differential

  Duo-Block

  A patented quick-response limited-slip differential developed for the Lancia Montecarlo Group 5 racing transaxle. The system formed part of the drivetrain used in Lancia's 1980 and 1981 endurance championship campaigns.

• Four-wheel-drive center differential

  Split-Diff

  A patented center differential developed for rally cars with four-wheel drive. Its purpose was to split and proportion torque between the driven axles under competition conditions.

1. 1Colotti Trasmissionien.wikipedia.org