Ferrari · 1973–1984

Ferrari 512 BBi

The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer (BB) is a series of sports cars produced by Ferrari in Italy between 1973 and 1984. The BB was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina. The first BB model, the 365 GT4 BB, replaced the front engined Daytona and was the first in a series of road-going Ferraris equipped with a mid-mounted flat-twelve engine. The 365 GT4 BB was succeeded in 1976 by the BB 512, equipped with a larger displacement engine, then by the fuel-injected BB 512i in 1981. The series was discontinued in 1984 when the BB 512i was replaced by the Testarossa, which used a revised version of the flat-twelve engine.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Ferrari 512 BB · Successor: Ferrari Testarossa

All Ferrari 512 BBi data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Background

Production of the BB was a major step for Enzo Ferrari. He felt that a mid-engined road car would be too difficult for his buyers to handle, and it took many years for his engineers to convince him to adopt the layout. This attitude began to change as the marque lost its racing dominance in the late 1950s to mid-engined competitors. As a result, the rear-mid-engined 246 P Formula 1 car was introduced in 1960, followed by the Dino SP racing sports prototypes in 1961. In 1963, the company also moved its V12 engines to the rear with its P and LM racing cars. Introduced in 1967, the Dino 206 GT and 246 GT/GTS road cars were the first road-going Ferraris to use the rear-mid-engined layout, albeit under the lower-cost Dino marque. Ferrari's flagship V12-powered road cars remained front-engined through the early 1970s, with the 365 GTB/4 Daytona and 365 GTC/4 introduced in 1968 and 1971, respectively. In 1973, Ferrari introduced the 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer as its first mid-engined 12-cylinder road car. Ferrari first used the flat-12 engine layout in racing cars, starting with the 1964 512 F1. The 512 F1's 1.5 liter engine was designed by Mauro Forghieri, technical director of the racing department. This engine design was further developed in several Formula One and sports prototype racing cars, including the 1968 212 E, 1970-75 312B, and 1971 312PB. These racing engine designs became the basis for the road-going flat 12 engine introduced in the 365 GT4 BB.

Design and development

Following the introduction of the production 365 GTB/4 Daytona in 1969, Ferrari engineers led by Dr. Ing. Angelo Bellei began work on a successor, the 365 GT4 BB. Though it shared its numerical designation with the 365 GTB/4 Daytona, the 365 GT4 BB was radically different in layout than the front-engined 365 GTB/4. The new car was to have rear mid-mounted flat-12 engine, arranged longitudinally. While this configuration was unprecedented among Ferrari road cars, the design team drew upon the existing chassis design of the mid-engine 250 LM and Dino 206/246, as well as the flat-12 engines developed for the Scuderia Ferrari beginning in 1964. The first prototype 365 GT4 BB was unveiled at the 1971 Turin Motor Show. Prototypes were further refined by an extensive road and track testing program led by Ferrari test driver Giorgio Enrico. As Ferrari engineers already had considerable experience with both the layout and engine design, development work proceeded rapidly and only small changes were seen between the early prototypes and the first production 365 GT4 BB. The production 365 GT4 BB was first offered for sale in 1973. Engine and transmission. Dr. Ing. Giuliano de Angelis oversaw the development of the Tipo F102A engine used in the 365 GT4 BB. This engine was derived from both the Mauro Forghieri-designed Tipo 001 3.0-litre flat-12 engine used in the 1969 Ferrari 312B Formula One car and the roadgoing 365 GTB/4 engine. The total displacement of the new engine was 4390.35 cc with a bore of 81 mm and a stroke of 71 mm, dimensions which matched the 365 GTB/4 engine. While the "Berlinetta Boxer" name has been used by both Ferrari and the press to describe BB-series cars, this engine was not a true boxer engine. In the Tipo F102 A and its derivatives, each pair of opposing

Production history

=== 365 GT4 BB === The production version of the 365 GT4 BB was introduced at the 1973 Paris Motor Show. The start of production coincided with the 1973 oil crisis, and as a result initial demand was low. Ferrari initially planned a limited production run of only 25 cars. Production began slowly, with only two dozen cars constructed during the first year of production. Demand gradually increased and later cars were produced at the rate of one per day. In total, 387 examples were built between 1973 and 1976, making it the rarest of all Berlinetta Boxer models. 88 were right-hand drive, with 58 of these intended for the UK market. Production 365 GT4 BB bodywork was constructed by Scaglietti and final assembly took place at Ferrari's factory in Maranello. Factory list price in 1973 was 18,290,000 Lire. By 1976, the price increased to 24,375,000 L., approximately US$30,000. List price in the UK was £17,487 in 1975. Air conditioning was optional, but most buyers selected it. Buyers could choose the two-tone "Boxer" paint with a black lower half, or conventional single color paint. Contemporary press reception to the 365 GT4 BB was positive and journalists praised the car's handling and straight line performance. Road & Track tested a 365 GT4 BB in June 1975. The clutch in their test car slipped, but they still measured 0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds, 0-100 mph in 14.8 seconds and a standing quarter mile time of 15.5 seconds. R&T testers reached a top speed of 175 mph, making the 365 GT4 BB the fastest road car tested at the time. A later test of a fully functional car in the November 1976 issue of Car and Driver recorded 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds and 0-100 mph in 14.1 seconds. BB 512. The 365 GT4 BB was replaced by the BB 512 (also known as the 512 BB) in 1976. The name 512 referred

Specifications and performance

Measurements are notoriously variable, inaccurate, and definitionally vague even from Ferrari-issued sources of the same period. For example, the workshop manual documents maximum speed (typically speed at redline), whereas the owner's manual documents attainable speed, which appears to be speed at maximum HP per RPM not exceeding redline; for the 512 and 512i, this is likely not the maximum speed. Also, the workshop manual does not consistently distinguish measurements between the carbureted (512) and injected (512i) engines except with respect to the fuel delivery system, even though it is common knowledge that differences exist.

Racing history

=== 365 GT4 BB === The 365 GT4 BB was never officially raced by Scuderia Ferrari, however Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) raced modified street cars with some factory support. In 1974, NART obtained two 365 GT4 BBs for use in sports car racing. These cars, chassis 18139 and 18095, began as standard road cars and were modified for competition use. Chassis 18139 was totally disassembled by NART mechanics and received extensive modifications. These included removal of the factory interior, installation of a roll cage and larger fuel tank, improved suspension, wider bodywork with fixed headlights and wider wheels. Carburetor tuning was slightly adjusted and a new exhaust system was installed, but the engine was otherwise unmodified. 18139 was entered in the 1975 24 Hours of Daytona, but retired before the race after breaking a hub carrier during practice. 18139 finished 6th overall at the 12 Hours of Sebring two months later, then was entered at Road Atlanta where broke another hub carrier during practice and Lime Rock, where it retired from the race due to a broken connecting rod. The car was inactive during the 1976 season, then was entered in the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans by NART. The car finished 16th overall and 5th in the IMSA class, driven by Francois Migault and Lucien Guitteny. For the 1978 season, 18139 was fitted with a 512 engine supplied by the factory. It placed 22nd overall at the 1978 24 hours of Daytona (again driven by Migault and Guitteny), 21st at Road Atlanta, 16th overall and 3rd in class at Le Mans and 11th at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. 18139's final competition appearance was in 1984 at the 6 Hours of Riverside. Although the car had been upgraded, it was no longer competitive and retired after 76 laps. Chassis 18095 was also modif

BB abbreviation

The letters "BB" are used as an initialisation for "Berlinetta Boxer" in official Ferrari sales materials, owners manuals and independent press coverage of the 365 GT4 BB, BB 512 and BB 512i. However, two accounts from Ferrari insiders might suggest that "Berlinetta Boxer" is a backronym and the letters "BB" originally had a different meaning. According to engineer Mauro Forghieri, the letter "B" should signify "Bialbero", not "Boxer", since they knew the car was not equipped with a boxer engine due to the BB engine's crankshaft design. After the moniker "Berlinetta Boxer" was first presented at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, journalists kept using that name in spite of Forghieri's attempts to correct it. An alternative origin story was put forward by Leonardo Fioravanti: He claimed that the "BB" designation was derived from a nickname given to the car by designer Fioravanti, Angelo Bellei and Sergio Scaglietti. During development of the 365 GT4 BB, they began to refer to the car as "Brigitte Bardot", as they perceived the prototype to be exceptionally beautiful like the French actress. This nickname was shortened to "BB" and quickly adopted by other Ferrari factory workers. "Berlinetta Boxer" was later invented by Ferrari officials prior to the model's introduction at the 1971 Turin Auto Show, as it was deemed unseemly to name a Ferrari after the actress.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer
Manufacturer: Ferrari
Production: 1973–1984, 2,323 produced
Assembly: Italy: Maranello
Designer: Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door berlinetta
Layout: Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 4.4 L Tipo F102 A flat-12, 4.9 L Tipo F102 B flat-12, 4.9 L Tipo F110 A flat-12
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Wheelbase: 2500 mm
Length: 4400 mm
Width: 1830 mm
Height: 1120 mm
Predecessor: Ferrari 365 GTB/4
Successor: Ferrari Testarossa
sp: uk