1979 Ferrari 512 BB

Ferrari reasserted itself at the top of the 'supercar' food chain with the first 'Boxer,' the 365 GT/4 BB. Introduced at the Turin Salon in 1971, they were built in reaction to competition from Lamborghini's mid-engined Miura and subsequent Countach, as well as Maserati's Bora. Like the Ferrari Dino, the 365 GT4 BB received a mid-engine layout but was vastly different in both concept and execution. At the time of its introduction, it was the fastest road car that Ferrari had ever built. Its successor, the 512 BB, raised the bar even further, with displacement growing from 4.4-liters to 5.0-liters and horsepower now rated at 365 bhp and torque at 332 lb/ft. Styling changes were subtle, with a small chin spoiler added to the nose, slightly wider rear arches to accommodate larger rear wheels, four rear taillights replaced the six on the 365, and NACA ducts added in front of the rear wheels.

Ferrari had built fewer than 400 examples of the 365 GT4 BB between 1973 and 1976, less than half of the 929 units of the 512 BB produced from 1976 through 1981. An additional 1,007 examples of the fuel-injected 512 BBi were built between 1981 and 1984.

The bespoke Ferrari marque had a vast range of coupe and cabriolet models during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the V-8 powered Mondial Quattrovalvole, GTO, and 308 Quattrovalvole. All of these models used the modern mid-engine configuration with the 235 to 400 horsepower being sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual in the rear transaxle. The 400i was the company's sole traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive model with its V12 engine delivering approximately 315 horsepower from 294.2 cubic inches of displacement. The horizontally-opposed, mid-mounted, dual-overhead-camshaft 12-cylinder engine powering the 512 BBi was formed from a light alloy block with light alloy heads. It had the largest displacement of Ferrari's road-going models at the time, displacing 4,942cc (302 cubic inches). It had seven main bearings, four Weber triple-barrel carburetors, a 9.2:1 compression ratio, and delivered 355 bhp at 6,000 RPM and 333 lbs-ft of torque at 4,200 RPM. A dry-sump lubrication system was installed to relieve oil starvation while driving quickly through corners. It was backed by a five-speed manual gearbox while the 400i could be ordered with either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic. A dual plate clutch eased the pedal effort and coped with the added torque.

The Mondial and the 400i had the largest wheelbase in the lineup, measuring 104.3- and 106.-inches respectively. The 512 BBi measured 98.4-inches which was larger than the 96.5-inches of the GTO and the 92.1-inch wheelbase platform of the 308 GTB/GTS (Berlinetta and Spider). The 365 GT4 BB and 512 BB (and BBi) used the same chassis, with an overall length of 171.6 inches, a height of 44.1-inches, and width of 70.9-inches. All early 1980s road-going Ferraris were equipped with large disc brakes at all four corners and rested on a tubular steel platform chassis. Unequal-length A-arms with coil springs and anti-roll bars were used in the front of all models, while the 512 BB received a similar setup in the rear, with unequal-length A-arms with twin coil springs and an anti-roll bar.

In 1981, Ferrari added a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system to the 512 BB, now called the 512 BBi with the 'i' representing injection. Driveability and performance improved and the engine produced cleaner emissions. Only minor styling updates were applied, with new badging reflecting the addition of the fuel injection system, and metric-sized wheels, and Michelin TRX metric tire system. Rear fog lamps were positioned outboard of the exhaust pipes in the rear valance, and small running lights were added to the front grille section.

The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer was replaced in 1984 by the Ferrari Testarossa (Type F110) mid-engine 12-cylinder sports ar. Along with the succeeding 512 TR and F512M, production of the Pininfarina-designed car continued through 1996 with nearly 10,000 examples built during that time.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021