Ferrari 312PB

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Tim Schenken in the 312PB at the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring in 1972
Jacky Ickx at the wheel of a 312PB at the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring in 1973

The Ferrari 312PB is a racing car that Ferrari used from 1971 to 1973 as a works car in the Sports Car World Championship , which it won in 1972. The “P” stands for prototype according to the FIA regulations of group 6 . The “B” stands for boxer engine . However, this name is misleading. While the predecessor model Ferrari 312P was still powered by a 60 ° V12 3-liter engine based on the engine of the Formula 1 racing car Ferrari 312 , a flat engine spread by 180 ° was developed for the Ferrari 312B, which was used from 1970 to lower the center of gravity. But this was also a V12 again.

Development history and technology

The 312PB was a new development for the races of the brand world championship against the background that from 1972 only vehicles with a maximum displacement of 3 liters were allowed to be used and the five-liter sports cars, the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512S, which had dominated until then, were moved to the museum. The 312PB was a two-seater sports prototype powered by a Formula 1 engine, but despite being throttled for the demands of endurance racing, it was considered unsuitable for a 24-hour race. In the test year 1971, the Ferrari did not win against the five- liter , which the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 with three-liter engine, however, succeeded in Brands Hatch , the Targa Florio and in Watkins Glen .

Racing history

The new Ferrari prototype was the dominant vehicle in the 1972 brand world championship , for which only Alfa Romeo provided a new car via Autodelta , while Porsche withdrew from the factory. Driven by world-class drivers Jacky Ickx , Carlos Reutemann , Clay Regazzoni , Ronnie Peterson , Carlos Pace , Arturo Merzario and Tim Schenken , the Ferrari 312PB won almost all races in the series and the world championship. Ferrari stayed out of the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours in order not to risk defeat. The native Matra won .

In 1973 Alfa Romeo also decided not to participate in the factory, but now Matra contested the entire world championship and won it with five wins, compared to only two of the 312PB. This time Ferrari could not miss Le Mans and used several cars there, including one as a "rabbit", which was supposed to tempt Matra to chase at high speed. Ironically, this car was the only 312PB to cross the finish line, and also came second, behind a Matra. At the Targa Florio , the last edition of this race with world championship status, all Italian sports cars fell out or fell behind and a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR won .

At the end of the 1973 season, Ferrari withdrew completely from sports car races in order to concentrate on Formula 1, in which the racing team had skipped a few races in 1973 due to lack of competitiveness. It wasn't until the Ferrari 333SP of the 1990s that a Ferrari racing sports car with a Formula 1 engine was available again.

Technical specifications

Ferrari 312PB (1971) Data
Engine: Twelve-cylinder V-engine (180 °)
Displacement : 2991 cc
Bore × stroke: 78.5 x 51.5 mm
Valve control: 2 overhead camshafts per cylinder bank,
4 valves per cylinder
Compression: 11.5: 1
Power: 343 kW (460 hp) at 10800 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed (fully synchronized)
Wheelbase : 2220 mm
Length × width × height: 3500 × 1880 × 956 mm
Dry weight : approx. 665 kg
Top speed:  approx. 350 km / h

literature

  • Pino Casamassima: Storia della Scuderia Ferrari. Nada Editore, Vimodrome 1998, ISBN 88-7911-179-5 .
  • Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The great Ferrari manual. Heel, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 .

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 312 PB  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files