by Steve Hole – pix by Steve Hole and Dell’Orto UK
Along with Weber, Skinner’s Union (SU) and Holley, the name Dell’Orto is synonymous with the world of carburettors. Although it’s often spelt DELLORTO, the technically correct form is with an apostrophe between ‘Dell’ and ‘Orto’. Here’s a little overview of a company we’ve all heard of but many know nothing about.
Dell’Orto DRLA40 – courtesy of dellorto.co.uk
They can trace their history back to 1933 when Gaetano Dell’Orto set up Società Anonima Gaetano Dell’Orto e Figli (sons) in Seregno (near Monza) although they are now based in Cabiate near Como.
45DRLA – photo courtesy of Dellorto.co.uk
Gaetano was the figurehead and the company was predominantly run by his sons Luigi and Giuseppe. For the first 37 years of their existence they reall concentrated on carburettors for motorcycles with two-wheeled motorsport activities being introduced in 1938.
Their first carb was called the ‘Rex’, incidentally and they could count all of the many Italian bike manufacturers as customers.
A maintenance kit for a Dell’Orto air-cooled carb set-up. Photo courtesy of dellorto.co.uk
In 1960, they began supplying carburettors for cars and particularly the aftermarket, where their Italian rival Weber was doing very well, with Radbourne Racing supplying the UK market. However, Dell’Orto produced aftermarket carbs for the likes of Lotus, Innocenti, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Ford to name a few.
Courtesy of dellorto.co.uk
The early sixties would also see them expand their offerings to cover petrol lawnmowers and generators.
In 1969, they gained the OEM business for Fiat, a huge contract for Dell’Orto to win and they’d expanded their catalogue meaning that all engines from four to twelve cylinders and products for other makers such as Honda, BMW, Ferrari and RenaultSport were added to their catalogue.
Photo courtesy of dellorto.co.uk
By the early nineties fuel injection systems and throttle bodies were added to the Dell’Orto inventory. Motorcycles were also hugely important, with all the main Japanese and Italian makes using their products.
In recent top-level motorcycle racing is also catered for and they’ve been the exclusive ECU supplier to the Moto3 world championship.
In 2006 Dell’Orto opened a factory in India with one in China following in 2011.
In addition to still making carburettors, they also produce stuff like throttle bodies, intake systems, ECUs, fuel systems, sensors, actuators and an extensive aftermarket range is available.
Now in its third generation of Dell’Orto family ownership, Giuseppe is company president and his son Andrea as Chief Operating Officer.
This lovely Rover 3.9-litre V8 runs a quad bank of Dello’Orto 45DRLA carbs. Pic by Steve Hole
In the UK Eurocarb is the sole distributor of Dell’Orto products and they can even supply quality reproduction versions of some of Dell’Orto’s old carbs popular with kit and classic car owners over the years, which the factory stopped producing in 1992. So, if you’ve got, say a Rover V8 running a DRLA40 or a Lotus or Alfa Romeo running a DHLA, Eurocarb can still help you.
Other famous automotive Dell’Orto products include 481DA, DRLA36, 401DF, 441DF and 481DF, not to mention their air-cooled models for the VW Beetle. Regardless of whether you want a replacement carb, or a spare part, everything is still available.
can be found via www.dellorto.co.uk or for the Italian HQ site visit www.dellorto.it.