1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB

The Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, the first 'Boxer', was shown at the 1971 Turin Motor Show. It was designed to compete against the Maserati Bora, Lamborghini Miura, and the newly introduced Lamborghini Countach. The production version was shown in 1973 at the Paris Motor Show and during its production lifespan, 387 examples were built with 88 being right-hand drive (58 were sent to the U.K. market). The design was courtesy of Pininfarina and followed the P6 show design which included the pop-up headlights. The Pininfarina design was low and wide, and built by Scaglietti.

It had the same numerical designation as the Daytona, yet it was radically and dramatically different. It had a mid-engine layout housed in its tubular/monocoque combination chassis. It was powered by a flat-12 engine that was mounted longitudinally rather than transversely. With 380 horsepower, it produced slightly more than the Daytona. The motor was placed above the gearbox and final drive, thus allowing for a shorter wheelbase. The ensemble was clothed in low-slung Berlinetta coachwork, the result of extensive wind tunnel testing. It was assembled by Scaglietti and comprised a superstructure mixing aluminum-alloy and steel panels, complemented by matt black-finished glassfibre elements beneath the front and rear overhangs.

The 365 GT4 BB was named for the displacement of a single-cylinder, as well as its four-cam overhead-valve actuation. It was the first of a family of Berlinetta boxers with increasingly powerful engine specifications, none of which were ever federally approved for American road use (except with aftermarket conversion).

Production would continue through 1976, before being succeeded by the 512 BB. At the time of its introduction, it was the world's fastest and most expensive car.

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