Description
Imperial War Museum | Duxford, Cambridgeshire
9th Apr, 2025 9:00
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: T. B. A
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
By the time the Daytona needing replacing, Enzo Ferrari had been won over by the mid-engined concept for his sports cars. The smaller Dino had proved to be a big hit and the mid-mounted offerings of his competitors were proving popular enough. The Pininfarina-designed 365 GT4 BB (where BB stood for Berlinetta Boxer) therefore became Ferrari's first such 12-cylinder road car.
It was first presented at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and then a revised version debuted at the Paris Salon of 1976, for which the 512 nomenclature of Ferrari's racing past was resurrected. Aside of an increase in engine size to 4, 942cc and a higher compression ratio of 9. 2:1, the 512 BB featured a deep chin spoiler, NACA style brake cooling ducts on the flanks, wider rear tyres, twin rather than triple rear lights and twin rather triple exhaust tailpipes. The performance was as impressive as you might expect, the engine's 360bhp being sufficient to propel the Ferrari to 62mph in around 5. 4 seconds and on to a top speed of nearly 190mph. Some 929 BB 512 examples wre produced before the model was replaced by the Boxer's final iteration - the fuel-injected BB 512i.
More information to follow
PLEASE NOTE: The registration number in the photographs is not included in the sale.
