Ferrari 512S

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ferrari
Ferrari 512S
Ferrari 512S
512S / 512M
Production period: 1969-1971
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupé , Spider
Engines: Petrol engine :
5.0 liters
(404-441 kW)
Length: 4360 mm
Width: 2000 mm
Height: 970 mm
Wheelbase : 2400 mm
Empty weight : 930 kg
Previous model Ferrari 330P4
successor Ferrari 312PB

Ferrari 512S is the name of the racing car built in 1970 in 25 copies for the sports car class as an answer to the Porsche 917 . Analogous to the Ferrari 312P with only a few copies built in 1969 with a three-liter V12 engine for the prototype class, the 512S designates the model with a five- liter V12 engine built according to sports car rules. This unit initially developed 500 hp (370 kW), later up to 600 hp (440 kW). A variant of the 512S modified at the end of 1970, which is more similar to the 917, was called the 512M. From 1976 Ferrari transferred this nomenclature to the road cars of the Ferrari 512 BB series.

history

At the beginning of the 1969 season it became clear that the prototypes with Formula 1 engines, limited to three liters since the end of 1967, would not be the best choice for long-distance races, because Porsche had consistently exploited a loophole in the regulations and built 25 copies of a new sports car. which was allowed to have a displacement of up to 5 liters. This gave the Ford GT40 Mk. I, which were also built in large numbers, but were already old, a modern successor, the 917. The relatively small company Porsche decided to make this risky investment because it relied on being able to sell the expensive, but initially unrivaled 917 after dozens of racing cars had been given to customer teams in previous years.

Enzo Ferrari, who had neglected the market for customer racing vehicles for years and last used a four-liter V12 prototype with the Ferrari 330P4 in 1967 , decided to flee forward, sold company shares to FIAT and invested part of the proceeds in the construction of the necessary 25 Copies of a five-liter sports car. At the end of 1969, a good six months and a full racing season later than the 917, the 512S was presented and the small series required by the regulations was produced.

The homologation took place in January just before the race in Daytona. Ferrari was able to sell several 512 to customer teams such as North American Racing Team , Filipinetti , Francorchamps, Montjuich, Gelo and others, but some chassis remained unsold. One was made available to Pininfarina , who used it to create the Modulo design study .

Racing

In the 1970 brand world championship, the 512S drove with different body styles, which u. a. oriented towards the requirements of the individual racetracks. In addition to coupes, there were half-open Spiders and a variant with a long tail ( Coda Lunga ) for the 24 Hours of Le Mans . In 1970, due to a lack of development time and good race preparation, there was only one victory at the Sebring 12 Hours over the more reliable Porsche 917. This was the only racing success of a Ferrari 512 in the manufacturers' world championship; outside of the championship there was another victory in Kyalami.

Half-open version of the Ferrari 512S, 1970 on the Nürburgring
Modified Ferrari 512M, 1971 on the Nürburgring

It was not until the end of the sports car world championship season in 1970, for the race at the Österreichring , that the 512S was upgraded to the 512M (Modificato), which was now mainly a wedge-shaped and short "S". The 512M was immediately superior to the 917 in the 1000 km race at the Österreichring and set several lap records before the race for Ickx / Giunti ended due to problems with the alternator. The following race, the 1000 km from Kyalami, was won by Ickx / Giunti with two laps ahead of Siffert / Ahrens in a Porsche 917.

The main difference was that the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen only developed, but left the complex assignments to teams like John Wyer (supported by Gulf), Porsche Salzburg and Martini, so that the burden of time, personnel and money was spread over several shoulders. This principle is still common today.

Ferrari, on the other hand, appeared as a factory (Scuderia Ferrari SEFAC) as before and was overwhelmed by what the Formula 1 season of 1966 had shown, in which John Surtees left. This "veteran" has now been hired again, although two Formula 1 drivers were under contract, which was too little for the armada of up to four long-distance works cars. A total of twelve changing drivers were used. Porsche, on the other hand, had a steady driver base.

For strategic reasons, Ferrari no longer used the 512 at the factory in 1971, but also did not support the customer teams. Scuderia Ferrari concentrated on the 3-liter prototype 312PB , which already complied with the new rules of the brand world championship from 1972 and was very successful after the five -liter was banned. The three successes of the three-liter Alfa-Romeo Tipo 33 in 1971 showed that the 917 were anything but invincible. The fastest with three pole positions in four races, since it was developed in-house, the 512M was used by Roger Penske's American team . The blue and yellow 512 sponsored by Sunoco had u. a. a quick tank system and a continuous rear wing. However, the Penskes 512 did not achieve any great success either, as it mostly failed or fell back due to technical problems or accidents (often at the top). Like Wyer before, Porsche offered the capable competitor a collaboration, and from 1972 Penske worked as a partner of Porsche on the 917/10 Turbo for the CanAm series.

The Ferrari 512 was also occasionally used in races of the North American CanAm series and its European counterpart, the Interseries , until 1975 , but also without any notable success. In the summer of 1971, the Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez , otherwise a Porsche 917 works driver at Gulf-Wyer, died in a racing accident at the Norisring in a Ferrari 512 owned by Swiss Herbert Müller . Müller had a spectacular accident in 1972 after the introductory lap to a race of the Interseries in another 512 on the start-and-finish straight of the Nürburgring, but was able to escape the burning car.

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 512S  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.pro-teileabschnitt.de