Gilco

Gilberto Colombo started his laboratory specifically to produce ultra light frames for cars in the early forties.

Gilco logo.

At the beginning, the activity was named GC and then in 1947 took the name Gilco Autotelai.

Enzo Ferrari turned to Gilco at the beginning for Ferrari car frames. Colombo created an innovative frame for a Ferrari F1 made with tubes with oval cross-section which was both rigid and light.

This project gave birth to the frame of the 12-cylinder, 1500cc 125 with spring suspension designed by Gioachino Colombo.

Gilco and Ferrari started together, and it is from their first meeting that created the cars of the Ferrari team, on which, for many years, ran pilots such as Fangio, Ascari and Villores.

The inventions at the base of those projects Gilberto Colombo started innovations of the car and bicycle that contributed to Italian marks all over the world. The technical value that been confirmed in that even today, they are still appreciated and continue to represent the excellence of Italian marks and the use of steel all over the world in competition vehicles.

(source: Gilco)

1946-1947 Gilco Telaio 750-1100 sport frame.

1948 Gilco 751 Giusti "Testa d'oro".

1951 Gilco 240 Competizione frame.

1952 Gilco 750 Berlinetta design.

1955 Gilco alloy wheel. One of the very early alloy wheels produced in Italy was designed by Gilberto Colombo and manufactured by the Fonderei Armadori of Bologna. In competition vehicles, aluminum alloy wheel were successfully replacing the old spoked wheels, which were complicated to manufacture and to calibrate.

The new system made it possible to produce a lighter wheel, reinforced by a system of ribbing, and perforated so as to allow for the cooling of the recently introduced innovation, disk brakes.

The Fonderie Armadori was later purchased by Campagnolo, and when the patent expired, they adopted the design with minor modifications.

Gilco Design logo.

FERRARI

1948 Ferrari 166GT.

1949 Ferrari 166 SC.

1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico.

1952 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia. The 250 constituted the old Ferrari project for a 12-cilynder, 3-litre vehicle. The "tube body" with an expanded plan designed for the sport version was to constitute the foundation for the production of the 250 Gran Turismo in the mid fifties.

MASERATI

1947 Maserati Milan.

1947 Maserati A6GS frame. Two technical drawings of the simple and very strong A6 GS 2000.

1954 Maserati 300s frame. The construction of the frame was subcontracted by the manufacturers to Gilco, which arranged to build it for the entire production run of the model, or for part of that run, depending on the manufacturer's needs and the scheduling of the production.

In this period, Gilco had practically ceased experimentation, and Gilberto Colombo worked largely as a consultant.

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