Ferrari 330P3

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A Ferrari 330P3 in its original condition, 2007 at an event for historic racing vehicles in Le Mans
A Ferrari 330P3 owned by Lorenzo Bandini and Jean Guichet at the Le Mans 24 hour race in 1966

The Ferrari 330P3 was a racing car that Scuderia Ferrari used in the 1966 World Sports Car Championship .

Development and technology

In order to be able to take on the challenge that arose from the competition of the Ford GT40 , the P2 was consistently further developed. Since increasing displacement was not part of Ferrari's philosophy - some of the Ford GT40s had 7-liter V8 engines  - better performance could only be achieved through reduced weight and improved aerodynamics. Three new bodies were therefore created in the workshop of Piero Drogo , who also gave the customer 365P2 a new shape.

In 1966 Ferrari used Lucas fuel injection for the first time in the P3 . Like the P2, the P3 had double ignition and four overhead camshafts. Ferrari gave 420 hp at 8000 rpm as output. The vehicle had a ZF transmission and a Borg & Beck clutch.

Racing history

The P3 made its racing debut at the 1966 Sebring 12 Hours , with Mike Parkes and Bob Bondurant behind the wheel . After a second place in qualifying, the duo dropped out after 178 laps with a gearbox damage. However, the Scuderia's second mission already brought historic success. Mike Parkes, this time with partner John Surtees , won the 1000 km race in Monza in front of the two Ford GT40s from Masten Gregory / John Whitmore and Herbert Müller / Willy Mairesse . This success is significant as Monza was the last time the 10 km long original track including the banked curves was driven.

At the Targa Florio 1966 Nino Vaccarella and Lorenzo Bandini failed because of Bandini's impetuous driving style, much to the chagrin of the Sicilian Vaccarella. With a clear lead, Bandini lost control of P3 in a narrow passage and damaged the front end of the car so severely in the accident that it was impossible to continue driving. This was followed by a victory in the 1000 km race at Spa-Francorchamps , driven out again by Mike Parkes and John Surtees.

At the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring in 1966 , however, the two Brits dropped out prematurely with clutch damage after taking pole position . No chance had the Ferrari at the 24-hour race at Le Mans against the superiority of Ford. Enzo Ferrari made at the Sarthe also an exception to the current vehicle policy and took a P3 to the North American Racing Team from Luigi Chinetti from. There the chassis 0846 was converted into the only P3 Spyder. Driven by Pedro Rodríguez and Richie Ginther , the car broke down with a gearbox damage after 151 laps. The two works cars fared not much better. Mike Parkes had an accident in the number 20 car he shared with Ludovico Scarfiotti . The second works car, starting number 21 and driven by Jean Guichet and Lorenzo Bandini, had an engine failure.

In 1967 the P3 were replaced by the P4 and and two copies were given to the Scuderia Filipinetti .

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 330 P3  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files