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1977 Ferrari 512 BB

The first Ferrari 'Boxer,' the 365GT/4 BB, reasserted Ferrari at the pinnacle of the supercar hierarchy. Ferrari raised the bar even higher by introducing the 512BB in October 1976 at the Paris Auto Show. The '512' was a Dino-type nomenclature, abandoning the company's long-standing practice of denoting a model by the capacity of an individual cylinder, instead, the '5' represented liters and '12' the number of cylinders. The increase in engine size from the original Boxer's 4.4-liter was done to comply with increasingly stringent emissions targets without sacrificing performance. The bore and stroke size increased, as did the compression ratio, and the previous wet sump lubrication was replaced by a dry unit. Power remained unchanged at 360 bhp, but torque improved to 332 lb-ft at 5,000 RPM. With revised gear ratios and the larger engine, the 512 was more tractable than its predecessors.

Subtle styling changes came in the form of the nose gaining a small chin spoiler, NACA ducts added in front of the rear wheels, larger rear arches to accommodate wider rear wheels, and four tail-lights replacing the six on the 365. Engine cooling was improved by an increased number of vents in the engine cover.

Production of the Ferrari 512 BB lasted from 1976 to 1981, with 929 units built. It was replaced by the Bosch fuel injection BB512i. The 512 BB was built during an era of expression and excess when automobile buyers were seeking alternatives from the norm, favoring options that were both mechanically and visually different than other standard road-going vehicles. Enzo Ferrari had been reluctant to offer a mid-engined road car to his buyers, believing that it would be too difficult to handle. Following years of convincing arguments from his engineers, and steadily losing ground in motorsports to mid-engined competitors, Enzo adopted the layout. The mid-engined four-, six-, and eight-cylinder Dino racing cars were the result, and Ferrari later allowed the production of road-going variants.

The first 'Boxer' was the 365 GT4BB was introduced in 1971 at the Turin Motor Show. Intended as a rival to the Lamborghini Miura, it was released for sale in 1973 at the Paris Motor Show. A total of 387 examples were built, with 88 in right-hand drive configuration, including 58 for the U.K. market. It shared its numerical designation with the Daytona, but it was radically different. Like the Dino, it had a mid-engine configuration, and the now flat-12 engine was mounted longitudinally rather than transversely. The internal dimensions of the engine were shared with the V12 from the Daytona but spread out to a 180-degree angle, similar to Ferrari's 1970 Formula One car. A five-speed manual transmission was mounted underneath.

In 1976, the 365 was updated as the BB512, resurrecting the name of the earlier Ferrari 512 racer. The (Tipo F102 B) engine's displacement measured 4,942cc and had a compression ratio of 9.2:1. The dry sump lubrication system was used to prevent oil starvation in hard cornering due to revised rear suspension and wider rear tires. A new dual plate clutch was added to cope with the added power and ease pedal effort.

The Chassis

The chassis was formed from steel tubing with design inspiration sourced from the 250 LM and the Dino (206 and 246). Additional rigidity was provided by two large diameter tubes that traversed diagonally from the engine cradle to the roof, providing additional strength during a rollover. The central bodywork formed a semi-monocoque with the steel chassis, with the front and rear unstressed bodywork supported by subframes. In the event of a crash, the front subframe and bodywork were designed to deform and absorb energy.

The wheelbase measured 98.4 inches, had a width of 72 inches, stood 44.1 inches tall, and had an overall length of 173.2 inches.

The suspension was independent via double wishbones and anti-roll bars, with a single coil spring and shock absorber for each front wheel and a pair for each rear wheel. The steering was by a non-powered rack-and-pinion setup.

The Bosch K-Jetronic CIS fuel-injected BB 512i was the last of the series. Produced from 1981 to 1984, a total of 1,007 examples were built. Combined with the 387 examples of the 365 GT4BB, 929 of the BB512, and 1007 of the BB 512i, the total production of the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer was 2,323 units. When the Berlinetta Boxer entered retirement, it was replaced by the Testarossa, which received a revised version of the flat-twelve-cylinder engine.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe

This 1977 Ferrari 512 BB is one of 929 carbureted Berlinetta Boxers (BB) built between 1976 and 1981. BB 512s were not sold in the United States originally but needed to be modified for the U.S. market. The 4,942cc flat 12-cylinder engine offered 360 horsepower.

by Dan Vaughan

The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer was produced between 1973 through 1984 with a total of 2,323 examples of all 'BB' models produced. This was a very important model for the Ferrari marque, and one that followed in the footsteps of the mid-engined road car, the 206 GT Dino. The mid-engine placement had been proven to be a useful technique in improving handling and performance; Cooper was one of the first marque's to showcase the potential in motorsports.

When Ferrari introduced their 206 GT Dino, they also introduced a model that stayed true to their heritage, with the 'cart before the horse.' The 365 GT/4 Daytona front-engined car was a phenomenal vehicle, equipped with a V12 powerplant, and soon became legendary.

The 365 GT4 BB, for Berlinetta Boxer, was introduced at the 1971 Turin Motorshow. It incorporated many design features from the P6 Show Car of 1968. Mounted mid-ship was a flat-12 engine that shared its design and construction with Ferrari's racing program. It was introduced to rival Lamborghini's Miura. The production version was shown at the 1973 Paris Motor Show with sales beginning that same year. A total of 386 were constructed with 58 being right-hand drive.

The flat-12 engine was longitudinally mounted in the engine bay at a 180-degree angle with the gearbox mounted directly under the engine. The flaw in this design was too much weight in just one place and not evenly dispersed throughout the vehicle. Sixty percent of the weight was in the rear, as well as the engine sat rather high since it was above the gearbox.

In 1976 at the Paris Motor Show Ferrari introduced their next iteration of the BB series, the 512 BB. This version brought changes to the vehicle's design along with a five-liter power plant. The triple tail lights were replaced with double units.

In 1981 the 512 BBi was introduced. The 'i' signified a fuel injection system. The 512 BBi remained in production until 1984 when it was replaced by the Ferrari Testarossa.

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