1971 Ferrari 312P – The Boxing Champion

1971 Ferrari 312P

Sports car enthusiasts with an historical bent argue three great periods of sports car racing: 1) the 1950s, when early production sports cars starting turning into prototypes (Jaguar C and D Types, Ferrari Testa Rossa, Porsche RSK); 2) The late 1960s and early 1970s, which were the days of the Ferrari 512M vs. the Porsche 917; and finally, 3) The next few years of the early 1970s, when 3-liter prototypes were merely disguised Grand Prix cars.

Background to the 312P

In the heady days of the Ferrari 512S and 512M, ­ despite fan enthusiasm for those great Ferrari battles with Porsche – it didn’t take a genius to know that there would be a move to smaller engines and that the current 3-liter Grand Prix formula would have an impact on those new regulations, which eventually would come into effect to define the World Manufacturer’s Championship from 1972. Enzo Ferrari and his team, particularly Mauro Forghieri, could see what was coming, and work was well advanced for the new formula, with 3-liter cars appearing in 1971. Ferrari, along with other manufacturers, had experience with these smaller engines already, as the often complex rules for sports cars meant that Sports, GT, and Prototype categories had existed for some years under the guise of Group 4, 5 and 6. However, the Ferrari effort for 1971 would be a serious preparation for the 1972 season, and the factory left the bigger 512 5-liter cars to be run by private teams while they got on with developing the new car.

The Ferrari 312P had been around since 1969, using the well-tried V-12, 3-liter engine. In 1971, however, Forghieri came up with a major change for the sports car races, and that was the use of his flat-12 boxer engine, with the layout on a single plane rather than using the traditional vee. This, of course, had become the heart of the Grand Prix car, and the new sports prototype used much of the F1 car’s suspension as well. It had a two-piece fiberglass body which used several different tail configurations according to circuit layout, and it indeed was a barely disguised F1 car. The wedge shape became customary practice following the 312P throughout the 1970s.

Now we come to something of a problem in the nomenclature of these cars. Many of the 3-liter sports cars from 1971 and 1972 were referred to retrospectively as 312PB, based on the notion that the “B” referred to boxer. However, my esteemed VRJ colleague Peter Collins argues strongly this is incorrect and that PB refers only to the 1972 updated version of the car you see here, and that the B relates, in Ferrari language, to a Series B car rather than to the engine. Collins also argues that the term PB was originated by journalists to distinguish it from a V-12, though Forghieri himself added to the confusion when he first called the boxer a 180-degree V-12! If you accept Collin’s view, then the 312P continued from 1969 into 1971 in spite of the engine change to the boxer format, and the terminology PB shouldn’t be used until the 1972 cars. Wimpffen disagrees and lists chassis 0878 as a PB during 1971. Antoine Prunet gives some clarification when he says that Ferrari had developed a 312P Boxer and agrees that the PB came from journalists. Perhaps the cars up to the end of 1971 should be referred to as 312P, but the books are already written and the mould is set. While this is important historically, let’s not get too distracted from the history of this particular car and what it represented as Ferrari’s effort in the races of the time, particularly in 1971. And let me tell you the tale of why this car is of such great interest to me and why it was so special to be able to get into it and drive it with some verve.

0878/0880

For the beginning of 1971, Ferrari built only one 312P, whether you call it 312P Boxer or PB. This car was chassis 0874, which had the new configuration engine and made a surprising debut at the Buenos Aires 1000 kilometer race, where it was second on the grid amongst the 5-liter machines. Sadly, this is the race in which Beltoise was pushing his Matra back to the pits, and Giunti in 0872 struck him while leading the race and was killed, the car being written off. A second car was built for Sebring, chassis 0878 (there never was a chassis 0876), and this was entered for Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti and lined up on the grid next to the Penske-entered Sunoco 512M of Mark Donohue. At my first ever Sebring, I was fortunate enough to spend plenty of time examining the new car and talking to Ickx, who said it was very much like the F1 car. It certainly put a fright into the Porsche 917s and everyone else with its superb handling. Unfortunately, gearbox failure meant retirement after 117 laps. Despite twin fuel tanks, all the fuel was carried in the left tank for weight balance, as it is now.

In April, 0878 was on pole at Brands Hatch for the 1000 Kms. event, with Ickx and Regazzoni driving, the Swiss loving the car, in spite of being tripped off the circuit by a Dulon driver. That Dulon driver was not me, though I got in Regga’s way two years later in a Dulon, something Clay reminds me of whenever we meet. (We did have a jovial reunion of the Dulon Drivers Club two years ago and Clay came to rant at us!) After repairing body damage, the pair made up 6 laps of their deficit and finished second, driving flat out all the way. However, that April 4th was Alfa’s day and de Adamich and Pescarolo won in the Tipo33/3. A few weeks later, Ickx and Regga had another accident at Monza causing more major repairs, and then the car went to Spa where Regazzoni had another damaging encounter with…….yes, a Dulon. The engine overheated and led to retirement at the Nurburgring, and the chassis broke at Zeltweg in Austria, both times when a win was clearly on the cards.

I had a renewed acquaintance with 0878, as Ickx was in the car again with Andretti for the Watkins Glen season finale. This was one of those great weekends when the Six-Hours was followed the next day by a Can-Am race, with some of the sports cars joining in the Can-Am. 0878 was 3rd on the grid from Donohue and the 917 of Siffert/van Lennep, and led until a jammed starter lost a big chunk of time at the first pit stop and eventually caused retirement, with de Adamich’s Alfa coming out on top again. The car won one of the heats at the nonchampionship Imola 500 Kms. race, and then the Scuderia decided a massive rebuild was required as 0878 had really been knocked around during 1971. In truth, much of 0878 remained, but the car was now renumbered as 0880. It incorporated the modifications that were to appear on the pukka 1972 cars, although these were not dramatic changes. Lower tire profiles meant wider track and a slight bulge in the rear section as a result. The height was reduced and the weight limit was changed so additional strengthening was added to the chassis. The size of some chassis tubing was increased slightly, but the car was not vastly different. In November, the revised 0880 car was sent with the first of the “proper” PBs for 1972, chassis 0882, to Kyalami in South Africa for the Nine-Hour Race, a nonchampionship but important and prestigious race. At the time, 0882 was announced as the first of the seven 1972 PB cars (0882, 0884, 0886, 0888, 0890, 0892, 0894), giving some credence to the argument that the previous cars were seen by Ferrari as 312Ps. Brian Redman appeared in 0880 with Clay Regazzoni, and the new 1972 312PB 0882 was driven by Ickx and Andretti. Redman had just left JW Porsche after several very good races and he and Regga won from the newer car after a very hard race. Effectively, this turned out to be the end of the road for 0880, or so it seemed.

1972 opened well for Ferrari, with 0886 and 0884 finishing 1st and 2nd at Buenos Aires, with Redman in the second car. They did it again at Daytona with 0888 and 0892, and 0890 1st, 2nd and 4th, Redman 4th this time. The first two places again went to 312PBs at Sebring (0882 and 0886) with 0888 and 0894 doing the same at Brands Hatch, Ickx in 0882 winning at Monza, and Redman and Arturo Merzario taking the win at Spa in 0890 from Ickx and Regga in 0888. What a season! When the Le Mans test days came in April, 0880 was brought out for some practice, and then did not reappear until the Targa Florio, where it served only as a practice car for Merzario and rally driver Sandro Munari. The practice must have helped because this pairing won the great Sicilian event, but in chassis 0884.

Driving the 312 P

0880 not only came back to life after being 0878, but then reappeared albeit briefly in 1972, and fortunately it has had another reincarnation because it is back racing, and doing well. Much of its post-racing life was spent in the collection of Bernie Ecclestone, he of the many Ferraris. More recently it was sold to American Bill Binnie, who ensured that the car with such wonderful provenance would be brought back to an active life.

Binnie sent the car to Paul Lanzante in the south of England to restore and prepare what was already a car in quite good condition, but suffering from neglect. With a full day in which to scrutinize and play with 0880 as it now is, we could remove body sections and take a close look at the steel tube/aluminium center tub to which is attached the engine, transmission, steering, suspension and brakes from the 312B F1 car. The flat-12 engine has a short stroke, 78.5 mm bore and 51.5 mm stroke, allowing it to rev easily to nearly 11,000 rpm at which point it produces 440 bhp, a bit less than the F1 car and with about 150 kg more weight to carry. It currently sits, or squats, on Avon Racing tires which are intermediates, 13 x 25 x 15 at the rear and 9 x 20 x 13 at the front. One needs to remember the impact of these low profile tires when they first appeared and how they changed the shape of prototypes, essentially for all time. In combination with the new wedge shape, aerodynamics then changed, as did wing location and size, and the use of trim fences became an art form. Much more attention was being paid to air flow through and around openings and radiators, and this particular car was usually, though not always, seen with two smallish upright stabilizers at the rear in front of the adjustable rear tab.

The car in current form has showed its old promise with good results at Spa and great potential at Rockingham before a spin onto the unfinished infield damaged the floor, puncturing it in several places and creating the dilemma of how to repair it without changing the character. One of the reasons Bill Binnie was persuaded to allow a journalist or two into the car was that it needed some track time to install new data logging equipment, and hence a number of steady but not slow laps would be useful.

Generally, a track test allows time for inspecting the details of the car “as you go.” With the brief to lap in a fairly consistent way, it was necessary to do the static inspection in advance, and nothing was going to distract me from the driving experience. The data logging equipment takes up most of the passenger’s foot space, and yes, there is the “sort of” passenger seat of the period, in red and black like the driver’s. The Momo/Ferrari wheel is very F1, as is the general fit and snugness of the seat with lots of lateral support. You are aware of twin fuel tanks on either side, but as I have mentioned, only the left tank gets used to balance the driver’s weight. Instrumentation is again period F1 with a large rev counter dominant and a temperature/pressure gauge incorporating virtually all other functions. There is a horn! This is the remnant of the Targa Florio practice and shouts the car’s history. The tall mirror in the center works well, though the side mirrors vibrate and are really only for the blind spot on each side.

The gear lever sits to the right with the sliding metal bars under the gate in true Ferrari fashion to prevent going down more than one gear at a time and making the revs soar. It turns out to be a beautiful gearbox and wonderful to use. The modern electronic machinery allows much better feedback on braking, throttle position, steering position, rpm, and basically is going to tell those sitting back in the pits what a mess you made. It will stop you from lying as well!

Now comes the driving. Regrettably, I only went to Sebring once, back in 1971. It never occurred to me or presumably to anyone else, that a time would come when you would wish you had gone to a lot more races, talked to more drivers, and taken more pictures. Fortunately, I had picked a good year to go. Mark Donohue and David Hobbs were taking the fight to the Porsche 917s with their Penske-prepared 512M, dominating practice.

Alongside Donohue sat chassis 0878 on the front row, after Andretti and Ickx had flashed through the Florida sun to push Pedro Rodriguez and the other Porsches back to row two. Andretti and Ickx were in relaxed mode all week, and I took some 40 shots of them lounging in the pits. Ickx was exceptionally vocal for that period of his career, and Andretti was as easygoing as ever. They looked like they would take this race but the gearbox, which I was now playing with, had other ideas. Vic Elford won and I was at the hairpin to watch “Pedro ram me” according to Donahue, or as Pedro put it: “He sort of backed into me.” Wink, wink.

So, this is all a long prologue to finally finding myself behind the wheel of that very same 0878, courtesy of Bill Binnie. Thirty years ago, however, they didn’t put the “computer stuff” into racecars so there was no chance of exaggerated tales of bravery and not lifting. Nevertheless, it made the experience more professional and focussed. This was testing a most serious racecar. I loved every second of my laps in this great car, enjoying the exhilaration of that fantastic torquey engine and phenomenally smooth gearbox. 0878, or 0880, as it is now, just “waaaaangs” out of a corner, gathers momentum, brakes imperceptibly for the banking at the end of the straight, changes direction, grips and “waaaaang,” she’s gone again. All of this is fuss free, steering is totally responsive, and for once I was not distracted by having to take in the details of the cockpit……counting the gauges. This was all about driving and immersing oneself in a very rare machine.

This car is amazing for its lack of drama, and even with a respectable rev limit in force, the car is very quick, but precise and with enough feedback to know where that back end is all the time. But I know where I was……….back at Sebring in 1971, out there on the stretches of bumpy runway looking for Porsches and bigger 512M Ferraris, ready to funnel into the Esses and whip past under braking, or come past the Martini 917 on the outside of the Sebring hairpin, keeping the revs up, and going around the outside, watching Vic Elford blink as he realized what happened. I saw that happen and now I was doing it.

Buying and owning a 312 Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari, so it goes, said no private team could run one of these cars. They were too complicated and too expensive. He was right and wrong. They were both, but some privateers got to grips with them; and Bill Binnie and Paul Lanzante and his team are doing a superb job 30 years later. However, this is a hard car to run well, and inevitably means when you find one, you will need the machine shop to make the parts.

Having said that, it is not a hard car to drive or race, but somewhat challenging to race hard. It is F1 technology and needs an experienced person behind the wheel. Binnie is showing both what he is capable of and what the car can do, and the car teaches well. Nevertheless, you will need to win the lottery… twice.

Specifications
Chassis: Spaceframe with riveted aluminum panels.
Bodywork: Fiberglass
Front track: 1425 mm.
Rear track: 1400 mm.
Wheelbase: 2220 mm.
Weight: 650 Kg.
Suspension: Front: Independent with unequal length upper and lower wishbones and coilover springs. Rear: Independent with lower wishbone and upper links and coilover springs.
Engine Type: Flat 12, twin overhead camshafts, 4-valve per cylinder, electronic ignition.
Bore and stroke: 78.5 mm. x 51.5 mm.
Capacity: 2991 cc.
Horsepower: 450 bhp @10,800 rpm
Fuel delivery: Lucas fuel injection
Gearbox: 5 speed and reverse
Brakes: Front: Outboard disks. Rear: Outboard disks
Wheels: Front: 13” x 10”. Rear: 15” x 15.5”

Resources
Collins, Peter
Boxing Clever–Ferrari 312P
Auto Italia, Nov.2001, pp.42-45.

Wimpffen, Janos
Time and Two Seats
Motorsports Research Group, 1999 ISBN – 0 9672252 0 5

Prunet, Antoine
Ferrari Sports Racing and Prototype Competition Cars
Foulis Paris, 1983 ISBN – 0 85429 338 8