Ferrari 312T

Ferrari 312T

Constructor:	Scuderia Ferrari
Designer:	Mauro Forghieri
Predecessor:	Ferrari 312B3
Successor:	Ferrari 312T2
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Aluminum monocoque
Engine:	Tipo015 Ferrari-V 12, 180 °, 2998 cm³
Length:	4500 mm (depending on the sash)
Width:	2100 mm (depending on the sash)
Height:	1300 mm
Wheelbase:	2500 mm
Weight:	595 kg (without fuel)
Tires:	Goodyear
Petrol:	Agip
statistics
Driver:	Clay Regazzoni Niki Lauda
First start:	1975 South African Grand Prix
Last start:	US Grand Prix West 1976
Starts Victories Poles SR 15th 9 10 6th
World Cup points:	99.5
Podiums:	15th
Leadership laps:	k. A. / tba

The Ferrari 312T was a Formula 1 racing car that Scuderia Ferrari used in the Formula 1 World Championship in 1975 and 1976.

General

The Ferrari 312T was the top car in the Formula 1 World Championship in 1975 . The chassis was a monocoque with a partially supporting engine. The “T” in the type designation stood for “transversal” and meant a gearbox that was flanged at right angles to the engine in front of the rear axle.

From its debut at the BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone with Niki Lauda at the wheel, the 312T was a winning car. At the third Grand Prix start, the Monaco Grand Prix , Lauda won again. It was the first victory in the principality since the success of Maurice Trintignant in 1955. Lauda became world driver champion with five victories this season. His third place at the Italian Grand Prix was enough for him to win the title early. Clay Regazzoni won the race in the second 312T and at the end of the year, for the first time since 1964, both world titles went to the Scuderia. At the beginning of the 1976 season , the 312T was also used in the first three races, all of which ended with victories for the Scuderia (twice Lauda, ​​once Regazzoni), then came the 312T2 .

technology

engine

The engine is an all-aluminum V-12 cylinder with two camshafts per cylinder bank and four valves per cylinder, valve control via cam and bucket tappets. The fuel injection is mechanical via slides, which, unlike throttle valves, open the entire duct cross-section when the throttle is at full throttle.

The engine's output was 495 hp at 11,800 revolutions per minute and thus around 25 hp above the competition's engines. However, this went hand in hand with higher fuel consumption, so that the Ferraris had to start with around 30 liters or 22.5 kg more gasoline than the vehicles with Ford or BRM engines. In order to keep consumption within reasonable limits, the fuel-air mixture was set as tight as possible during training, but could be enriched by the driver in order to prevent the engine from stuttering at speeds in the range of 7000 to 9000 revolutions per minute.

The torsional vibrations of the long crankshaft of the twelve-cylinder, which sometimes led to the breakage of the shaft in older designs, are relatively low because the flywheel is not firmly screwed to the crankshaft, but is connected to it via a rubber element. The crankshaft has only four bearings.

The engine of the 312 T was considered insensitive and reliable. In his book Niki Lauda Formula 1 , Niki Lauda wrote that an absolute speed limit at which the engine was "really tapped" is difficult to specify. Mathematically, it is 12,800 rpm. However, due to a switching error, he let an engine "snap over 13,500 tours" without causing any damage.

transmission

Niki Lauda's Ferrari 312 T at a 2012 classic car race

The gear unit is installed transversely to save space. It may have been considered that the rear suspension on wishbones should be replaced by a De-Dion axle in the course of further development . It has five non-synchronized forward gears and one reverse gear. Shifting takes place with a small shift lever in a setting with three levels. Reverse and first gear are on the first level, next to it are second and third and on the third level, fourth and fifth gear. The sliding mechanism in the gate avoids shifting from fourth gear directly to first gear and thus avoiding over-revving the engine. Reverse gear can only be applied after lifting a flap. The driver can upshift as with a synchronized transmission. Downshifting takes place with intermediate clutch and double-declutching .

As is customary with racing cars, the gear ratios have been adapted to the respective race track, so that at the end of the longest straight in fifth gear, the maximum speed is reached and when accelerating out of bends in the corresponding lower gear. Changing the gear ratios is relatively difficult with the transversely installed Ferrari gearbox. It is not enough to remove the freely accessible rear cover, as is the case with the competition's Hewland gear units, in order to access the gear shafts. With the Ferrari gearbox, the right wheel suspension must be completely dismantled in order to be able to loosen the screws on the housing cover. The difference in workload is about two hours.

The transmission and the associated limited slip differential have their own oil circuit with a pump, which is connected to the cooler via two hoses.

Monocoque, cockpit and body

Niki Lauda at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix

The monocoque as an essential part of the chassis consists of square steel profiles with riveted aluminum plates, so it is a combination of tubular frame and shell construction. This connection results in greater rigidity and greater safety, but at the expense of weight and costs. On the left and right in the area of ​​the tanks there is a 10 centimeter wide foam construction as a crumple zone. In the front end of the monocoque, a cast magnesium part, there are two brake cylinders, springs and shock absorbers, the pivot points of the wheel suspension and the stabilizer. The rear end is also made of magnesium. It connects the monocoque with the supporting engine. The roll bar is supported by struts forwards and backwards and thus contributes to the rigidity of the chassis in the same way as simple tubular structures between the monocoque and the engine.

Compared to later generations of Formula 1 cars, the cockpit with a seat shell tailored to the driver is simple. The central instrument in the dashboard is an analog tachometer with a display from 4000 to 14,000 rpm. There is no drag pointer that records the highest engine speed reached in an operation. To avoid overspeeding, the 312 T has a rev limiter that the driver can switch off if necessary. An instrument cluster to the right of the rev counter shows the fuel and oil pressure, the left instrument cluster shows the oil and water temperature. If the oil pressure is too low, the only warning light on the dashboard lights up bright red.

The following switches are available in the cockpit: toggle switch for taillight, which is switched on in rain and fog, toggle switch for rev limiter, starter button, pressure switch for electric fuel pump. On the left there is also a switch, secured by a red flap, for triggering the fire extinguisher and emergency ventilation for the driver as well as for switching off the electrical system. With a button on the steering wheel, the ignition can be switched off in a flash if, for example, the throttle slide is stuck at full throttle.

The driver is held in place by a six-point seat belt so that he does not slide forward in a frontal collision. In the confined space of the cockpit, the driver cannot put on the seat belt himself; To do this, he needs two helpers, one on the left and one on the right of the vehicle. However, the belt has a central lever to release all parts of the belt at the same time.

The 312 T has two water coolers and two oil coolers. The water coolers are integrated into the body on the left and right at the height of the driver's feet. The air flows under the front wing between the wishbones and the hot air escapes from the side at knee height and is diverted in such a way that the oil cooler installed at the rear or left and right of the engine does not hit. The water cooler is connected to the engine by four aluminum tubes. The upper pipes run to the left and right of the driver's shoulders, the return pipes are exposed at the bottom of the car in a recess in the crumple zone. 10 liters of water are in circulation.

A striking feature of Formula 1 racing cars and racing cars in the mid-1970s was the air scoop or air box behind the driver, which primarily uses dynamic pressure to force air into the intake funnel of the injection system and "charge" the engine. The charging effect, which starts above 60 km / h, is, however, slight. A more important effect is to evenly supply intake air at ambient temperature to all cylinders so that as little hot air as possible is sucked in from brake discs, radiators and exhaust, which would reduce engine performance. The disadvantage of the large hood, however, is the increase in air resistance. Nevertheless, according to Nike Lauda, ​​the air scoops were driven faster than without.

Suspension and suspension

As has been customary for a long time in Formula 1, the Ferrari 312 T has independent wheel suspension at the front and rear. At the front left and right there is an upper and a lower triangular wishbone with a stabilizer, at the rear there are also a lower trapezoidal wishbone and an upper wishbone as well as a trailing arm and a stabilizer.

The Ferrari has coil springs at the front and rear made of titanium , which is more elastic and around 40% lighter than steel. At the front there are internal suspension struts (shock absorbers within the spring). The effect of the damping can be changed without having to remove the entire shock absorber. The camber of the front and rear wheels can be changed by moving the upper or lower wishbone points, as can the toe-in of the rear axle. The ground clearance can be adjusted by turning the aluminum spring plates on the shock absorbers.

gallery

• 

  Niki Lauda in the 312T at the 1975 British Grand Prix

• 

  312T without cockpit fairing and front wing

• 

  Giancarlo Martini in the 312T at the BRDC International in Silverstone 1976

Results

driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	Points	rank
1975 Formula 1 season																		72.5	1.
C. Regazzoni	11	4th	4th	16 *	NC	DNF	5	3	3	DNF	13	DNF	7th	1	DNF
N. Lauda	12	6th	5	5	DNF	1	1	1	2	1	8th	3	6th	3	1
1976 Formula 1 season																		27 /83 1	1. 1
N. Lauda	01	1	1	2
C. Regazzoni	02	7th	DNF	1

¹ The season was continued with the successor model 312T2.

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

Technical specifications

312T	Technical specifications
engine	Ferrari 12 cylinder (180 ° V)
Displacement	2998 cc
power	495 hp (364 kW) at 11,800 rpm
Valve control	2 overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, 4 valves per cylinder
Mixture preparation	Lucas injection
lubrication	Dry sump
cooling	2 water coolers (total volume 10 liters), no fan
coupling	Two-disc dry clutch
transmission	Unsynchronized Ferrari five-speed gearbox in one unit with the differential (75% lock), gate shift
Front suspension	Double triangular wishbones with internal coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers, internal stabilizer
steering	Pinion and rack
Rear suspension	Two wishbones (suspension as in front), stabilizer
Brakes	Internally ventilated disc brakes, external front, internal rear, brake calipers with four pistons, separate front and rear brake circuits
wheelbase	2500 mm
Track width front and rear	1550–1600 mm (depending on the rim width)
Length × width × height	approx. 4500 × approx. 2100 × 1300 mm
tires	front 9.2 / 20.0-13, rear 16.2 / 26.0-13
Weight (without driver and with empty tank)	595 kg

literature

• Mike Lang: Grand Prix! Race-by-race account of Formula 1. Haynes Publishing Group, Sparkford 1982, ISBN 0-85429-321-3 .
• David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
• Pino Casamassima: Storia della Scuderia Ferrari. Nada Editore, Vimodrome 1998, ISBN 88-7911-179-5 .
• Leonardo Acerbi: 60 years of Ferrari. Heel, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-815-6 .

Web links

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

• Ferrari.com information about the 312T. Retrieved on May 6, 2020 (en)
• ultimatecarpage.com Detailed information (article / pictures / technical data). Retrieved on May 6, 2020 (en)
• NIKI LAUDA | 1975 FERRARI 312T F1 | EXCLUSIVE on YouTube . Retrieved May 5, 2020

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Niki Lauda, Fritz Indra , Herbert Völker: Niki Lauda Formula 1 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-85368-817-9 , p. 58 ff.
2. ^ Ferrari.com. Formula 1.
3. ^ Ferrari.com. All models.