Ferrari's earliest cars used engines designed by Gioacchino Colombo, who had formerly designed Alfa Romeos for Enzo Ferrari. These V12 powerplants ranged from the diminutive 1498 cc unit fitted to the 125S to the 3285 cc unit in the 1966 275.

Ferrari's first Formula 1 car used a supercharged version of the 1.5 L Colombo V12. Output was 225 hp, but the car was not successful. An alternate engine, by Lampredi, was devised, and Colombo left the company in 1950.

The early 166, 195, and 212 cars used Colombo V12s of varying sizes. All shared the same 58.8 mm stroke, with 60, 65, and 68 mm bores giving displacements of 1995, 2341, and 2563 cc in the 166, 195, and 212 respectively. Output ranged from 105 hp to 165 hp.

One of the most common Colombo engines is the Type 125. It bowed in 1952 in the 250S and lasted through the 1963 330 America. It used a 73 mm bore with the common Colombo stroke of 58.8 mm for a total of 2953 cc.

The 1960 400 Superamerica replaced the previous model's Lampredi engine with a 3967 cc Colombo. It diverged from the standard 58.8 mm stroke with a 71 mm stroke and 77 mm bore. Output was 340 to 400 hp with triple Weber carburetors. The same engine was used in the 1964 330 models.

The final 58.8 mm Colombo Ferrari was the 275. It used a 3286 cc variant of the V12 with a wide 77 mm bore for up to 300 hp.

The 71 mm Colombo engine was enlarged with an 81 mm stroke to 4390 cc for 1966's 365 models. This same engine would continue for the Daytona and was flattened for use in the 365 GT4 BB of 1971.

The Colombo engine was enlarged again to 4823 cc for 1976's 400 with the same 81 mm bore and a 78 mm stroke. Another flat version (bored to 82 mm) was fitted to the 512BB. These engines continued into the 1980s in the 412 and Testarossa, only being retired in 1992 with the new Dino-based 456 V12.