Cerritos College News Releases -- February 2008

Photo of Dave McLellan speaking at the podium Norwalk, CA – February 21, 2008 - Cerritos College Office of Economic Development hosted a Southern California section meeting of Society of Automotive Engineers, which featured special guest speaker Dave McLellan, the former Corvette Chief Engineer on Tuesday, February 19. McLellan talked about the Ferrari Formula One (F1) program and addressed Q&A for the Ferrari and the Corvette.

Entitled “Ferrari’s Winning Way in F1,” McLellan’s PowerPoint Presentation and remarks were based on a “narrow aisle tour” of the Ferrari F1 program in Maranello, IT sponsored by the then Chief of F1 Powertrain, Paolo Martinelli and on conversations with several individuals who knew Ferrari well.

Every year for the last 8 years Ferrari has won or placed second in the Manufacturers Championship in the fierce competition of F1. All the major competitors have access to the money, talent and technology it takes to win. So why has Ferrari so consistently taken the championship and why has no other manufacturer mounted a consistent challenge?

By talking to several people who knew Ferrari inside out, McLellan found that Ferrari’s reign was coming from its analytical capability, excellent teamwork, stability in the organization and attention to detail.

Photo of Ferraris lining up in the parking lot McLellan joined General Motors in 1959 after graduating from Wayne State University as a mechanical engineer. In 1975, he was appointed Corvette Chief Engineer. He is responsible for creating the revolutionary C4 Corvette. McLellan retired from General Motors in the fall of 1992. He is the author of a recent book Corvette from the Inside, the 50 Year Development History which includes the 17 years during which he and his team made history.

Eight new and old Ferraris were showcased in the Cerritos College parking lot to accompany McLellan’s presentation. The appearance of eight shiny exotic collectors’ machines in the busy school parking lot stunned the unexpecting students.

Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college’s district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 200 areas of study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently nears 20,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at www.cerritos.edu.

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Cerritos College

Releases 2008