Claudio Lombardi

The engine man of Lancia’s Group B era, whose twin-charged four-cylinder gave the Delta S4 its brutal response, and who later ran the Ferrari Formula One team.

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Episode 8 — The Architects: Fiorio, Todt, Gumpert, Turner & the People Behind Group B

The engineers and team bosses who built Group B.

Lancia

Claudio Lombardi (12 May 1942 – 2 October 2025) was born in Alessandria and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Bologna. After the Fiat research centre he designed engines for Lancia, both for the World Rally Championship and for sports car racing, and became head of engineering at Lancia’s racing department.

His engines powered the Rally 037 and the Delta S4. The S4’s 1.8-litre four combined a supercharger for low-speed response with a turbocharger for top-end power, a solution that eliminated turbo lag but made the car notoriously demanding to engineer and drive.

Lancia’s engine designer for the 037 and the twin-charged Delta S4, later Ferrari team manager.

Ferrari and after

In 1989 Cesare Fiorio brought Lombardi to Ferrari. When Fiorio left in 1991 he became team manager, holding the role until Jean Todt’s arrival in 1993. He then designed Ferrari’s 1993 V12, the engine behind the last Formula One wins for a V12 (1994 German and 1995 Canadian Grands Prix). From 2000 to 2010 he was a consultant to Aprilia, designing the RSV4 engine that won the 2010 Superbike world title. He died in Alessandria in October 2025, aged 83.

In pictures 1 photos

A Lancia Delta S4 in Martini colours.
A Lancia Delta S4 in Martini colours.Photo: Calreyn88 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

More from Designers and engineers

Sergio LimoneThe Abarth engineer behind the Lancia 037, and the Delta S4.Read more →André de CortanzeTechnical director of Peugeot Talbot Sport, later designer of the Toyota GT-One.Read more →Tony SouthgateThe racing-car designer who drew the Ford RS200's chassis.Read more →John WheelerFord's Boreham engineer who won the RS200 design competition.Read more →Ferdinand PiëchThe Audi engineering chief who made the quattro possible.Read more →Walter TreserProject leader and namer of the Audi quattro, first head of Audi Sport.Read more →

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN), Claudio Lombardi — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Lombardi
  2. Wikipedia (EN), Lancia Delta S4 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Delta_S4

All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.

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Thumbnail photos on this page: Steven Straiton from UK (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0); Jorjum (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0); Calreyn88 (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Nicky Clarke (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0).