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Giuseppe Merosi (8 December 1872 – 27 March 1956) was an Italian automobile engineer and designer.
Born inPiacenza, Merosi worked as a building surveyor, before he decided to explore his gift for automotive engineering. He first earned experiences atBianchi and then atFiat. In 1910 he was hired as chief engineer to the new company A.L.F.A which was established atPortello inMilan, later to becomeAlfa Romeo[1] when the company stopped buying manufactured licensed products from the French automakerAutomobiles Darracq France.
The first Alfa designed by Merosi wasA.L.F.A 24 HP, which came on the market on 24 June 1910. The 4.1 litres capacity engine supplied 42 hp and the cars reached 100 km/h (62 mph), at that time a very considerable maximum speed. After little more than one year, Alfa had already sold 50 models. The car proved to be durable and reliable, and was conspicuous for its elegant design. Higher HP models followed in the coming years. In 1914 Merosi designed the first Alfa Romeo DOHC engine, 4 cylinders, 4.5 litres and 16 valve head, this was used in the 1914Alfa Romeo Grand Prix car driven byGiuseppe Campari.[1]World War I temporarily stopped Alfa's activities and Merosi could start working again with DOHC engine only in 1922. In the early 1920s he also worked on the deluxeAlfa Romeo G1.
Merosi was one of the first people at Alfa to recognize the importance of producing racing cars, both in terms of technical development and marketing. His Alfa Romeo HP had already taken part in the 1911 edition ofTarga Florio. In 1920 Alfa Romeo started producing proper racing cars with theRL andRM as well as theP1. Alfa Romeo would win the Targa Florio for the first time in 1923 withUgo Sivocci.
In 1926 Merosi left Alfa Romeo and he was replaced with new chief engineerVittorio Jano. He worked afterwards forIsotta Fraschini until he retired when the company suspended its activity following the outbreak ofWorld War II. Merosi died in Piacenza at the age of 84 in 1956.