
Acknowledged by all as one of the great chassis designers
of all time, John Barnard routinely creates race cars which
- in the true spirit of Ferrari - deliver both dramatic
innovation and elegance of detail. 

Born in 1946, Barnard began as an apprentice at Lola Cars
in 1968. The Briton joined McLaren for the first time in
1972, and moved to America in 1975, where he designed the
first Indy Car to use the Formula One-derived Cosworth DFX
engine and penned the Chaparral 2K of 1980, the first
ground-effect chassis to win the lndianapolis 500 race and
the Indy Car championship. 

McLaren brought Barnard into Formula One in 1980, where he
pioneered the use of all-carbon composite construction.
While developing this technique in his family MP4/1
chassis designs, Barnard also exerted a major influence on
the configuration of the Porsche turbo engine with wich
Mclaren dominated F1 from 1984 to 1987. 

Seeking a fresh challenge, Barnard joined Ferrari as
technical director at the end 1986, operating from premises
in the UK under the banner of GTO - standing for both
'Guildford Technical Office' and Ferrari's most famous
sportscar model name!

Barnard again revolutionised Fl with the introduction of a
semi-automatic gearbox on his first design for Maranello in
1989, which won on its debut. Despite Barnard's temporary
departure from the team at the end of that year, an updated
version of this car gave Ferrari its best season in a
decade, yielding six wins and second place in the drivers
and constructors standings. 

After a two-year soujorn setting up Fl design operations at
Benetton and TOM's, the peripatetic Barnard rejoined
Ferrari in 1993, establishing another UK design office
concentrating on new car design and advanced projects away
from the pressures of the racing season. Barnard's recent
412 series is noteworthy for a modular approach allowing
rapid changes to aerodynamic, transmission, and suspension
components to suit individual circuits or incorporate new
features. 

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Source: Shell-Ferrari WWW-site
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