1971 Ferrari 512 F

Rule changes in the late 1960s restricted displacement sizes to a minimum of three-liters and a maximum of five-liters. To homologate for the GT-class, a minimum of 50 examples were required to be constructed. This limit was decreased to just 25 units for 1969. Ferrari had a three-liter Formula 1 V12 engine available so their choice to produce a prototype racer for this category was understandable. The decision initially looked promising, as the new 312 P was very quick, but with Porsche's debut of the 917, their fortunes looked in jeopardy. The Porsche 917 was very quick, but at the time, it was underdeveloped. Ferrari knew it needed to build a new GT racer that could outpace the 917.

Ferrari created a new 5-liter engine in mid-1969. It featured four valves per cylinder, a Lucas Fuel Injection system, quad cams, and a light alloy block and head. It had a similar design to the engine used in their F1 program. Initially, it produced 550 horsepower, but with further development, this figure rose to over 600.

The large engine was given an equally impressive chassis comprised of an aluminum space-frame front section with a rear subframe setup that could support the weight and power of the engine. The entire structure was clothed in lightweight fiberglass in a shape similar to the 312 it was replacing. Though every effort was made to keep the vehicle as light as possible, the end-product was heavier than the fearsome Porsche 917.

Much of the testing and fine-tuning of the new 512 S was done during the winter months. The inaugural race for the 512 S was at the season opener in Daytona. During practice, Mario Andretti's lap times for the 512 S was nearly identical to the Porsche 917, proving Ferrari had a worthy contender. But before Ferrari could enter their cars for the race, they needed to pass the homologation requirements. During the inspection, Ferrari presented 17 completed cars and displayed parts for the other 8. Thankfully, this was enough to pass inspection.

At Daytona, Ferrari entered five 512 S cars. Andretti's 512 S was able to capture pole position despite unfavorable weather. Though the team had worked hard during the winter months to prepare the cars for the race, all five entries suffered from problems during the race. The only car to finish was Andrettis, who finished in fifth place. Prior to a suspension problem, the Andretti's car appeared to have the second place finish secured.

After Daytona, Ferrari made several improvements to the car, both to the aerodynamics and to the mechanical components. To reduce weight even further, an open spyder version was created. Fuel consumption was improved and horsepower was increased. After a tremendous amount of work and preparation, Ferrari 512s were ready for the next championship race at Sebring. Three of the four cars had been modified to spyder configuration. The fourth car was the car Andretti had driven at Daytona and had finished the race.

At Sebring, Andretti once again qualified on the pole position. During the race, Andretti led early on, only to be overtaken by three Porsche's during a pit stop. After a hard-fought battle, Andretti was able to emerge victorious.

The following five races prior to LeMans earned Ferrari with several podium finishes, though no overall victory. The cars scored a third place finish at the Targa Florio, and a 2, 3,and 4th at the Monza 1000km.

Development continued throughout the season, and at LeMans, Ferrari and Porsche had both prepared long-tail versions of their entries to take full advantage of the high speed track. Ferrari fielded four cars and was hopefully that their record of reliability would give them an advantage. This would not be the case, as one of the cars was out in less than an hour. Two other cars were involved in an accident after rain had covered the course. The remaining 512 S was driven by Jackie Ickx, who was able to move into the lead. During the night, he too fell victim to the weather and crashed out. This left the door open for Porsche, and they were more than happy to take the overall victory.

The next evolution of the 512 S was the 512 M, with the 'M' representing Modificato or 'Modified.' The 512 M was a lighter, more powerful version of the 512 S. Modifications were made throughout the vehicle, including the nose section and the addition of a larger airbox to supply greater amounts of air to the engine. In total, there were around 15 examples of the 512s modified to this configuration.

Ickx and Giunti drove the 512 M during its inaugural race debut in 1970 at the final race of the championship in Austria. The 512 M was fast, outpacing the Porsches and setting lap records in the process. Sadly, the Ickx and Giunti would be unable to finish the race due to mechanical problems. The next race for the 512 M was a non-championship 1000 km race. Ickx and Giunti's main competition was a Porsche 917K driven by the new world champion, Siffert and runner-up Ahrens. From the start, the Ferrari proved to be quicker, even earning the pole position. A one-minute penalty was assessed to the eager Ferrari after a false start, but this did not deter the 512 M from crossing the finish line in first place.

Though the 512 M proved to be a capable car, Ferrari decided to focus on a 3-liter prototype program. This left the 512 Ms to be contested by privateers. Ferrari focused on their new 312 PB prototypes. The privateers did have some success with the 512 M, but not the same level enjoyed by the factory-backed Porsche team.

Rule changes for the 1972 season left the five-liter prototypes obsolete. Ferrari was able to once again able to capture the world championship with their 312 PB for the 1972 and 1973 season.

Scuderia Filipinetti raced several of the Ferrari 512s. One of the examples was modified by Mikes Parkes in preparation for Le Mans. The result of the work was a vast reduction in the overall weight. The car was given the nick-name, the Ferrari 512 F, for 'Filipinetti.' The car was driven at Le Mans by Parkes and Henri Pescarolo. Unfortunately, the car was involved in an accident and after repairs, mechanical issues side-lined the car. This would be the last time Filipinetti would race the car.

by Dan Vaughan

Raced in 1970 and 1971, the Ferrari 512 was a sports vehicle, related to the Ferrari P series of sports prototypes that was eventually withdrawn from competition after a change in regulations in 1968. A year later Ferrari decided to do what Porsche did six months earlier and build 25 5.0 L cars at one time to be homologated as sports car prototypes. The surplus vehicles were intended to be sold to racing customers.

The 512 S carried a motor with a new V12 with 560 PS output. Unfortunately not air-cooled like the Porsche's flat-12 the 512 was equipped with a variety of cooling pipes and a heavy radiator. Weighing more than 100 kg than the alloy-framed 917, the chassis was of sturded steel that was reinforced with an aluminum sheet. Despite the weight difference, the Ferrari 512S and Porsche 917 were evenly matched.

Predictable teething problems and a weak suspension and transmission were the main issues with the Ferrari 512s in the beginning of 1970.

Produced between 1973 and 1984, the Berlinetta Boxer, or the Ferrari 512 was the name for a series of vehicles produced by Ferrari in Italy. A huge venture for Enzo Ferrari, the Boxer was a mid-mounted flat-12 engine that replaced the FR Daytona and succeeded in the Ferrari stable by the Testarossa.

Though Enzo feared that the mid-engined road car would be too difficult for his buyers to handle, he eventually agreed to his engineer's request that he adopt the layout. In the late 1950s, this attitude began to change as the marque lost its racing dominance to mid-engined competitors. The result of all this was the mid-engined 4, 6 and 8-cylinder Dino racing vehicles that Ferrari eventually allowed for the production Dino road cars to use the layout also. While the Daytona was launched with its engine in front, the company moved its V12 engines to the rear with its P and LM racing vehicles. Finally, in 1971, a mid-engined 12-cylinder road vehicle came on the scene.

Released at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, the first Boxer was the 365 GT4 BB with the production intent to rival Lamborghini's Miura. In 1973 it was finally released for sale at the Paris Motor Show. A total of 386 units were sold with only 58 of them being right-hand drive. The most prestigious of all Berlinetta Boxers, this was the fastest and most rare model.

The Boxer was as unique as possible, though it shared its numerical designation with the Daytona. Like the Dino, the Berlinetta Boxer was a mid-engined vehicle that housed the now flat -12 engine mounted longitudinally rather than transversely. Sharing the internal dimensions of the Daytona V12, the engine was spread out to 180_ as on Ferrari's 1970 Formula One car. Mounted above a five-speed manual transmission the engine produced 344 hp at 7200 rpm and 302 ft_lbf of torque @ 3900 rpm. This engine also used timing belts instead of chains.

In 1976 the 365 was updated as the Ferrari 512 BB, resuming the name of the previous Ferrari 512 racer. A total of 929 of the 512 BBs were produced. Though peak horsepower was off slights to 340 hp @ 6200 rpm (redline 7000 rpm), the engine was larger at 4942 cc. Due to a larger displacement and a longer stroke, torque was now up to 46 kgf_m from 44 kgf_m at 4600 rpm. To achieve a lower center of gravity dry sump lubrication was used. New external features were a front spoiler, added NACA side air vents that ducted air to the brakes, four tail lights instead of six and wider rear tires.

In 1981 the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injected 512Bbi was released. The end of the series, the new fuel-injected motor released cleaner emissions and 340 hp at 6000 rpm and produced 333 ft_lbf of torque at 4200 rpm. New updates included badging and a change to metric-sized wheels along with the Michelin TRX metric tire system, red rear fog lamps outboard of the exhaust pipes in the rear valence and small running lights in the nose. A total of 1,007 512Bbi units were produced.

A total of 25 512S Ferrari's were produced within the first nine months with even chassis numbers from 1002 to 1050. In 1970, 19 of those units were raced, with five of them being spyders. At the end of the season, the 1020 was converted as a 512M and sold to NART which entered it in competition a year later.

by Jessican Donaldson