1984 Ferrari 512 BBi

The first horizontally opposed engine built by Ferrari was constructed in 1964, a 12-cylinder, 1.5-liter Formula One unit with 11:1 compression, Lucas fuel injection, and delivering 210 horsepower at 11,000 RPM. It received the designation 'boxer' in reference to early Volkswagen and Porsche engines, whereby the pistons opposed each other, much like sparring fighters. The cylinder banks form an angle of 180-degree, resulting in an engine with a flat, rectangular shape that enabled the car's lower center of gravity, allowing designers to pen the assertive stance that would dictate future Ferraris.

Ferrari went in a radically new direction than previous road-going Ferraris with the introduction of the 365 GT4BB at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, built to compete with the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, and the Maserati Bora. The new model wore a sensuous Pininfarina design, a handbuilt body by Scaglietti, and a mid-engine 12-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine, hence the car's designation, the Berlinetta Boxer. The total production of the 365 GT/4 BB was 387 units.

In 1976, an updated Berlinetta Boxer with a new 5.0-liter horizontally-opposed 12-cylinder engine was introduced as the 512 BB, and this platform was further developed as the 512 BBi in 1981. The primary difference between the 512 BB and 512 BBi was the replacement of carburetors with fuel injection, thus gaining the 'i' designation. The Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injected version was capable of achieving a zero-to-sixty mph time in 5.4 seconds, and a top speed exceeding 175 mph per hour. The use of fuel injection did not diminish the 512's power, but it did make it more available at lower RPMs, along with increased torque. Introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1981, Ferrari built 1,007 examples by the time production concluded in 1984, with 141 built in its final year of production of 1984.

With the 512 BB, Ferrari abandoned its long-standing practice of denoting a model by the capacity of an individual cylinder and adopted the Dino-type nomenclature where '512' indicates 5 liters/12 cylinders. The larger engine capacity size from the original Boxer's 4.4-liters was made not so much with increased power in mind but to enable the 512 BB to meet increasingly stringent emissions targets without loss of performance. The bore and stroke were enlarged, increasing the size of the displacement, and the compression was raised and dry-sump lubrication adopted. Together with revised gear ratios, the 512 was more tractable.

The low profile and streamlined and shapely lines of the 365 GT/4 Berlinetta Box and its successor, the 512, dictated the styling approach at Maranello for years to come. Modifications to Pininfarina's inspired coachwork were minimal, including brake-cooling NACA ducts ahead of the rear wheel arches, an air-dam spoiler beneath the nose, revised air intake boxes, and four rear lights instead of six. The tires became slightly wider, resulting in the 512s width growing by just over 25mm. Revisions to the running gear were minimal, gaining stiffer springs/anti-roll bars and altered damping rates. The all-round ventilated disc brakes remained unchanged, and the interior was virtually the same as before but for the adoption of multi-way adjustable seats in place of the fixed originals.

The BBi was constructed on a tubular steel semi-monocoque frame with a steel body designed by Pininfarina. The flat-12 was backed by a five-speed manual rear transaxle, and the suspension was of traditional race-car style, with unequal-length A-arms with dual coil springs and an anti-roll bar at both front and rear. Initially, the BBi wore metric-sized metric-sized Cromodora alloy wheels and metric tires, but many owners eventually changed those out for conventional wheels that could accommodate more readily-available tire sizes. There were new running lights in the grille and the interiors were well-appointed with leather seating, thick carpets, power windows, three-point inertia-operated seat belts, and air conditioning.

The fuel-injected 512 produced 340 bhp at 6,000 RPM according to figures in the factory owner's manual, or 3,60 bhp at 6,200 RPM according to the factory service manual. The owner's manual stated the BBi had a top speed in excess of 160 mph while the shop manual stated 188 mph.

Despite the fuel injection, the 512 BBi was never approved for sale in the USA, though American customers were given assistance by Ferrari to import them privately and carry out the necessary 'federalization'.

Along with 387 examples of the 365 GT/4 BB, Ferrari built 929 examples of the BB 512, and 1,007 of the BB 512i model. The 365 GT/4 BB had a top speed of 175 mph, while the carbureted version of the 512 had a factory-claimed speed of 188 mph.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021