Doktorski studij na FSB: Uvod u znanstveno istraživački rad 2019/2020

Luka Balatinec

GIUSEPPE BUSSO The Man Who Powered Alfa

UDC Essay

Summary

Some theories of creativity claim that creativity and creative thinking are the result of previous experiences, working with other individuals and specific events, i.e. creativity is the sum of iterations of one’s experiences. This theory is explored by analysing the life and work of one of the greatest engineers of the automotive industry – Giuseppe Busso. The analysis shows how experiences in different fields of engineering lead to creative thinking in other fields and how they nurture interdisciplinarity. The essay shows how one man’s creativity and innovation changed the automotive industry and inspired passion in both engineers and drivers around the world.

Key words: creativity in engineering; Giuseppe Busso; Alfa Romeo; interdisciplinarity

1. Introduction

Rarely does a car inspire such passion as an Alfa Romeo. Anyone who has ever driven such a car either loves it passionately or never sits in an Alfa again. From thoroughbred racers to the ammiraglia luxury cars, Alfas have attracted countless enthusiast under the name Alfisti. Even the great Jeremy Clarkson describes Alfas as something special, different [1]:

“An Alfa though? I can see that parked outside an embassy cocktail party, at a schloss, in Austria. It’s as European and as perfect as a girl in a little black dress, at a pavement café,

sipping an espresso coffee. You have an Alfa. You have style.” Alfas have been expensive and cheap, beautiful and ugly, good and bad, but they have always captured the creativity of the engineers who designed them as honestly as possible, exposing the beauty of the design, the ingenuity of the mechanics and flaws of both. For race drivers Alfas have represented the true heart of sportsmanship, the cuore sportivo, yet for engineers they captured the emotion and creativity of their profession, giving rise to Alfa Romeo’s slogan meccanica delle emozioni - the mechanics of emotion. This essay aims to explore the creativity and work of the man who created the hearts of countless Alfas, who guided the design and development of the engines and the cars, the man who powered Alfa - ingegnere Giuseppe Busso.

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2. Busso’s early career

Reflecting on the life, especially the professional career, of Giuseppe Busso is truly important for understanding his later work and examining the source of creativity seen in that work. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the modern giants of the research into creativity, describes creativity as a sum of iterations. He argues that creativity and innovation benefit from the experience of working at a specific place at a specific time and with other individuals which are engaged in related activities [2]. Keeping this idea in mind, an overview of the early life and career of Giuseppe Busso is given next. As seen in available bibliographical sources [3, 4] not much is known about Busso’s early life and education. The sources state that he was born in Turin in 1913, where he also received his early education. The formative years of his life began as he enrolled into engineering school at Turin Polytechinc. It should be noted that Busso’s later work became so significant that it was included as part of the lecture material at Turin Polytechnic [4]. After graduation and a short military service in 1937, Busso started his work as a calculator in FIAT [3], which, if we accept Csikszentmihalyi’s views on creativity, may have influenced Busso’s creative side the most. At FIAT, Busso worked in two major departments: the technical aeronautical engine department (Ufficio Tecnico Motori Aviazione - UTMA) and the technical experimental locomotive railway office (Ufficio Tecnico Autoveicoli Ferroviari Sperimentali - UFTAS). Both were large and dynamic departments that exposed Busso to many different problems and challenged him early in his career. This enriched his work experience and provided the necessary skill set, which he later applied to other fields of engineering. At the beginning of January 1939, Busso left FIAT for good. His new career would be very different from his previous work at FIAT, he would start his career at Alfa Romeo not knowing how much he would shape the company. Since it was 1939 and Europe was on the brink of war, Busso’s first task of creating race car engines was soon put on hold and replaced by the task of developing a 28-cylinder aeroplane engine - the Tipo 1101. This engine was developed by Busso and Wilfredo Ricart and was one of the more advanced aeroplane engines of the Second World War. Intended for fuselage-engined heavy fighters, the engine featured a bold, liquid-cooled radial design [5]. As per the source material [5] the engine had a 7x4 cylinder arrangement, 50,240cc displacement and developed 2000 HP. Further investigation of Busso’s and Ricart’s design of the engine shows that it is not a radial engine of the "star" shaped design usually seen in aeroplane engines. The two designers were particularly creative in the application of a "modular" design. The 28-cylinder engine was comprised of 7 linear 4-cylinder blocks, radially mounted around the principal crankshaft, which gave the appearance of a "star" shaped engine [5, 6] After the war, Busso expected to resume his position at Alfa Romeo, but his old position was already given to Gioacchino Colombo. Colombo, in his spare time, worked for a former Alfa Romeo race car driver who started his own car company - Enzo Ferrari. Colombo, knowing how creative and capable Busso was, immediately recommended that Busso supervises the development of Ferrari’s new V12 engine for their first car, the model 125S [7]. Busso came to Maranello in 1946 and helped to develop the Ferrari V12 1.5-litre engine, but after Colombo got fired from Alfa for being involved in the side project of developing engines for Ferrari, Busso was immediately re-hired at Alfa Romeo, where his adventure continued.

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An overview of Busso’s early career was given to provide context and to support the claim of the author that, in accordance with Csikszentmihalyi’s views on creativity, the creative work of someone like Giuseppe Busso may be attributed to his past experience and interdisciplinary skills acquired while working on different project early in his career.

3. Busso and Alfa Romeo

Once Busso returned to Alfa Romeo he was put in charge of all mechanical designs and helped this Italian car manufacturer evolve from a producer of low volume sports cars to a mass producer of GTs, sports cars and limousines [7]. From the position of overseeing the mechanical components design department, where he studied and planned new projects for all new Alfa Romeo models, Busso was responsible for the development of nearly all of the iconic Alfa Romeo models of the late 40s, 50s and 60s [3]. Busso oversaw the development of the Alfa 1900 model, the Giulietta, the 6C 3000 CM, the Giulia, the Tipo 33 Stradale, the GT Junior, the Spider Duetto, the GTV, and many other timeless classics. Nonetheless, Busso was always focused on the engines, the heart of the car. He masterfully applied the different skills he acquired while working with aeroplane and railway engines, which made his work at Alfa Romeo legendary among engineers of the time and his creative approach to engine design known for years to come.

Fig. 1 Some of the models produced by Alfa Romeo under Busso. In the clockwise direction from top left: Giulietta, Duetto Spider – Osso di Seppia, Giulia GTA, Tipo 33 Stradale [3].

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3.1 The Bialbero The first engine designed by Busso was the twin-cam 4-cylinder engine. Nicknamed the Bialbero (twin-cam in Italian) it was the heart that powered so many of the Alfa Romeo models for over 40 years and was truly considered one of the greatest 4-cylinder engines of all time. When designing the Bialbero, Busso relied heavily on his past experiences as an aeroplane engine designer and relied on the philosophy of weight containment. This idea of weight containment was one of the reasons why the twin-cam 1290cc Bialbero engine became so revolutionary, as aluminium was used heavily in its design which made it extremely light [3]. The Bialbero engine debuted in the 1954 Giulietta and featured an aluminium alloy engine block and cylinder head, that also featured hemispherical combustion chambers, cast iron cylinder liners and double overhead camshafts. This engine powered everything from show cars like the Disco Volante to the Matta military Jeep. The engine evolved giving birth to larger displacement 4-cylinder twin-cam engines (1600cc, 1750cc, 1900cc, 2000cc, etc.) and was further modified with upgrades such as the twin-spark ignition method that featured two spark plugs per cylinder for more uniform ignition [8].

Fig. 2 The Alfa Romeo Bialbero engine [8].

Fig. 3 The Disco Volante (left) and the Matta military jeep (right) [7].

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The Bialbero is a perfect example of how Busso’s creativity and previous experience resulted in the creation of something that transcended the confines of a mere engine and became a true part of automotive history. While the Bialbero engine gave heart and soul to the cars, Busso was not yet finished creating his greatest masterpiece - the V6 engine.

3.2 The V6 Busso

Seeing all of Busso’s accomplishments regarding car and engine design, the fact that the V6 Busso is thought of as one of his greatest accomplishments speaks volumes of the quality and the design of the engine. First introduced in 1979 in Alfa Romeo’s Alfa 6 model with a displacement of 2,492cc and a single overhead camshaft 12-valve cylinder head, the engine, in its various iterations, was used in high-end Alfa Romeo models from 1979 to 2005 [9].

Fig. 4 The Alfa Romeo V6 Busso engine developed by Giuseppe Busso [7, 9]. There were many iterations of this iconic engine, but the main features were a 60 degrees V6 layout, 12 valves (2 valves per cylinder), the use of aluminium in both the block and the head of the engine and the single overhead camshaft. Later iterations had larger displacements, reaching 3,179cc and 24 valves with a dual overhead camshaft design [9]. All of the iterations of the V6 Busso engine were fitted into high-end and flagship Alfa Romeo models only. Regardless of the iteration of the V6 Busso, the engine was considered the culmination of Giuseppe Busso’s work. It was his final and greatest creation before retirement and truly left a mark in history. All of Busso’s previous accomplishments, experiences and skills inspired his creative side and helped him in designing something more than a mere engine - a work of art. EVO magazine wrote that "the original Alfa Romeo V6 was the most glorious-sounding six-cylinder road engine ever" [10]. What is more, many engineers and car enthusiasts describe the sound of the V6 Busso as a "symphony of silky smooth revs" [7] and that its sound was so divine that it sounded like an instrument. The excellent craftsmanship and precision of the engine, along with the glorious sound it produced led to this engine, which was produced in Arese, often being compared to a violin. This is how Giuseppe Busso, creator of this instrument, earned the nickname "Arese’s violinist".

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4. Conclusion

The author of this essay argues that the creative work of someone working in technical sciences and engineering may be mostly influenced by their past experiences, skills and interactions. This idea is supported by the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a modern researcher into creativity, and was further explored on the example of the life and work of a great engineer - Giuseppe Busso. Busso’s life shows how a man’s undoubtful creativity gave rise to beautiful cars powered by some of the greatest engines ever constructed, that inspired generations of engineers and car enthusiasts. Busso’s life shows how a creative engineer adapts to new challenges by relying on his past experience and how one of the most important sources of creativity in one's work may come from multidisciplinarity. It is shown how creativity of thought connects the unconnected, how aeroplanes and trains inspired Busso to create engines that are more than machines, engines that inspire, engines that elicit emotion. The huge impact Busso and his work had on people may be clearly depicted in this final story of Busso’s life: Giuseppe Busso died only two days after the last V6 Busso engine was ever produced in 2006. His funeral was held a few days later in Arese and after the ceremony finished many Alfa Romeo enthusiasts spontaneously showed up with their V6 Busso powered cars in front of the church where the ceremony was held, they started their engines to honour this great man and say goodbye accompanied by the sounds of Busso’s own violin-sounding engine. This is the legacy of Giuseppe Busso, of his creativity and his work. Not only the cars he helped create, not only the engines that powered them, but the passion he instilled in the people who had the privilege of driving one of his creations. This man's creativity and skills helped establish the passion which is so closely connected with Alfa Romeo, he created the heart of cuore sportive and he put the emotion in meccanica delle emozioni.

Fig. 5 Busso with his wife next to an Alfa Romeo SZ (left) and a portrait of Giuseppe Busso (right) [7].

REFERENCES [1] Clarkson, J. I Know You Got Soul: Machines With That Certain Something, Michael Joseph, 2004 [2] M. Csikszentmihalyi (1999) Edited extract from R. Sternberg (Ed) (1999) Handbook of Creativity.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 313–35. [3] http://www.italiaspeed.com/2006/cars/alfa_romeo/01/busso/2601.htm

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[4] https://www.automotiverarebirds.com/single-post/2017/02/18/Giuseppe-Busso-–-Arese’s-Violinist [5] https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/alfa-1101.5117/ [6] Filippi, F. Dall'Elica al Getto: Breve storia dei propulsori aeronautici, Edizioni EDA, Turin 1983 [7] https://drivetribe.com/p/giuseppe-busso-the-man-who-changed-Alfa-Romeo [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_Twin_Cam_engine [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_V6_engine [10] EVO Magazine, August 201, page 77

Assigned by Kalman Žiha December 7th 2019 Delivered date

Luka Balatinec, luka.balatinec@fsb.hr Fakultet strojarstva i brodogradnje, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb