Description
Imperial War Museum | Duxford, Cambridgeshire
9th Apr, 2025 12:00pm
1977 Ferrari 512 BB 'Wide Body'
Unique commission by its only owner and under 6, 000 miles from new!
Estimate
£150, 000 - £170, 000
Registration No: DGF 719S
Chassis No: 21331
MOT: Exempt
Uprated with wider wheels / tyres (9J front / 11J rear), various engine modifications and reshaped bodywork by supplying dealer Maranello Concessionaires to the special order of its first and only owner
Thought to be unique among the 101 UK-supplied, RHD examples
Reworked front and rear aluminium clamshells plus reprofiled B-to-C-post sections and enlarged NACA cooling ducts etc
Reputedly inspired by the factory sanctioned 512 BB Competizione cars which were campaigned by Charles Pozzi and NART at the 1978 Le Mans 24-hours
Less than 6, 000 miles from new
Maintained by Vince Mezzulo throughout its life both during and after his time at Maranello Concessionaires
Finished in Rosso Chiaro with Black hide and carpets
Enzo Ferrari’s reservations about putting a high-powered, mid-engined road car in the hands of his customers were well documented. The success of the Lamborghini Miura, Maserati Bora and De Tomaso Pantera etc, however, meant that by the early 1970s the buying public fully expected any ‘true’ supercar to have its engine positioned just behind the driver. Debuting at the 1973 Paris Salon, the Ferrari 365 GT4 BB was nominally faster than its front-engined ‘Daytona’ predecessor but also decidedly trickier to pilot on the limit. Based around a tubular steel chassis with monocoque centre section, the newcomer featured all-round independent double wishbone suspension, front / rear anti-roll bars, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes. Utilising the same ‘Flat 12’ architecture as the engines which powered Maranello’s victorious 312B and 312T Formula 1 cars, its 4. 4-litre DOHC unit sat atop a five-speed transaxle with limited slip differential.
Unveiled at the 1976 Paris Salon, the second Berlinetta Boxer – the 512 – shared the same striking silhouette as its forebear (penned by Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina) albeit with a wider rear track to accommodate 9J alloy wheels (up from 7. 5J). Other stability inducing measures included a front chin spoiler to counter high-speed lift, recalibrated suspension and broader powerband. Enlarged to almost 5 litres, the 12-cylinder powerplant (hence the model’s nomenclature) also gained a hydraulic clutch, dry-sump lubrication and useful torque boost. With some 340bhp / 331lbft on tap, the two-seater was reputedly capable of 0-60mph in 5. 5 seconds and 188mph. Aside from the reprofiled front, visual tweaks were limited to NACA cooling ducts ahead of both rear wheels and a switch from six to four taillights. The provision of a taller final drive ratio and standard fit air-conditioning meant that the 512 BB was more refined as well as being better handling and less peaky than the 365 GT4 BB. Hand-built, the younger machine achieved 929 sales between 1976 and 1981 of which only 101 were to UK, right-hand drive specification.
According to information kindly supplied by Tony Willis of The Maranello Concessionaires Archive, this particular example – chassis 21331 – was commissioned from the factory on January 12th 1977 (under MCL Order Number 869). Finished in Rosso Chiaro with Nero leather upholstery and Red carpets, it was delivered to Maranello Concessionaires’ Egham premises a little over three months later. Heir to a successful family business, the first custodian – Alan Morello Esq. – took delivery on August 1st 1977. A serial Ferrari owner, he and his wife have retained possession of the 512 BB ever since. A Maranello Concessionaires employee at the time, Vince Mezzullo Esq. carried out the two-seater’s pre-delivery inspection before dropping it off at thirty-three year old Mr Morello’s Surrey estate. Stabled alongside eight other cars including a Panther J72 and Cadillac Fleetwood, chassis 21331 has been maintained by Mr Mezzullo (who bonded with Mr Morello over their shared Sicilian ancestry) all its life.
Perhaps inspired by the be-winged, factory sanctioned Ferrari 512 BB Competizione cars with which Charles Pozzi and NART contested the 1978 Le Mans 24 hours, Mr Morello returned the two-seater to Maranello Concessionaires for a host of bespoke cosmetic and mechanical enhancements. Entrusted to inhouse bodywork craftsman Barry Merriman, its front and rear aluminium clamshells were reworked with blistered arches to house 9J front and 11J rear alloys (in place of the 7. 5J and 9J originals). The area between the B- and C-posts on each side was reshaped too and adorned with deeper NACA ducts. The sidelights were repositioned within the front grille and treble vents added to both rear wings (presaging a similar motif on the later 288 GTO). The engine lid was de-badged and modified with a Competizione-style wing and transparent covers through which the quad Webers’ newly fitted trumpets could be admired. Re-jetted to compensate for the loss of their air filters / boxes, the carburettors were complemented by a special, twin-pipe sports exhaust.
Having paid so much attention to the way that the engine inhaled and exhaled it is perhaps no wonder that Mr Morello never fitted a stereo to chassis 21331 (instead relying on the music played by the 12-cylinder mill behind his left ear). He had Britax multi-point harnesses installed too and the rev counter rotated within its housing so that the red line was uppermost in the driver’s view. While other Prancing Horses came and went (not to mention numerous other high performance machines), the 512 BB remained. A firm favourite of Mr Morello’s and now being offered for sale by his wife, it has yet to cover 6, 000 miles! As well as more routine servicing, Mr Mezzullo overhauled the cylinder heads (replacing the sodium filled valves in the process) and renewed the odometer. The original wheels, carburettor air boxes and ‘tea tray’ rear wing come with the car. Initially granted the Surrey number plate ‘TPB 639S’ and subsequently sporting ‘PAM 303’ and ‘AM 51’, the Ferrari’s current V5C Document is for ‘DGF 719S’. Company registered at different times but owned by the Morello family from new, this unique and ultra-low mileage 512 BB is worthy of close inspection. Pleasingly, the chassis, engine and transaxle numbers quoted by Tony Willis all match those visible on the two-seater itself. Offered for sale with ‘suitcase’ tool case, history file and the aforementioned parts.
PLEASE NOTE: The registration number in the photographs is not included in the sale.
