The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer (BB) is a series of sports cars produced by Ferrari in Italy between 1973 and 1984. The BB was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina. The first BB model, the 365 GT4 BB, replaced the front engined Daytona and was the first in a series of road-going Ferraris equipped with a mid-mounted flat-twelve engine. The 365 GT4 BB was succeeded in 1976 by the BB 512, equipped with a larger displacement engine, then by the fuel-injected BB 512i in 1981. The series was discontinued in 1984 when the BB 512i was replaced by the Testarossa, which used a revised version of the flat-twelve engine.
Background
Production of the BB was a major step for Enzo Ferrari. He felt that a mid-engined road car would be too difficult for his buyers to handle, and it took many years for his engineers to convince him to adopt the layout. This attitude began to change as the marque lost its racing dominance in the late 1950s to mid-engined competitors. As a result, the rear-mid-engined 246 P Formula 1 car was introduced in 1960, followed by the Dino SP racing sports prototypes in 1961. In 1963, the company also moved its V12 engines to the rear with its P and LM racing cars.
Introduced in 1967, the Dino 206 GT and 246 GT/GTS road cars were the first road-going Ferraris to use the rear-mid-engined layout, albeit under the lower-cost Dino marque. Ferrari's flagship V12-powered road cars remained front-engined through the early 1970s, with the 365 GTB/4 Daytona and 365 GTC/4 introduced in 1968 and 1971, respectively. In 1973, Ferrari introduced the 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer as its first mid-engined 12-cylinder road car.
Ferrari first used the flat-12 engine layout in racing cars, starting with the 1964 512 F1. The 512 F1's 1.5 liter engine was designed by Mauro Forghieri, technical director of the racing department. This engine design was further developed in several Formula One and sports prototype racing cars, including the 1968 212 E, 1970-75 312B, and 1971 312PB. These racing engine designs became the basis for the road-going flat 12 engine introduced in the 365 GT4 BB. The first prototype 365 GT4 BB was unveiled at the 1971 Turin Motor Show. Prototypes were further refined by an extensive road and track testing program led by Ferrari test driver Giorgio Enrico. As Ferrari engineers already had considerable experience with both the layout and engine design, development work proceeded rapidly and only small changes were seen between the early prototypes and the first production 365 GT4 BB. The production 365 GT4 BB was first offered for sale in 1973.
While the "Berlinetta Boxer" name has been used by both Ferrari and the press to describe BB-series cars, this engine was not a true boxer engine. In the Tipo F102 A and its derivatives, each pair of opposing pistons share the same crank pin and move in the same direction during operation. In a boxer engine, pairs of opposing pistons move in opposite directions. On this point, Ferrari engine designer Mauro Forghieri stated "Please, don't call it boxer. Technically, it is correct to say that this engine is a flat-12, or has 12 cylinders with the heads at a vee angle of 180°."
The engine block was constructed of Silumin alloy, with cast iron cylinder liners. Pistons were light alloy and the crankshaft was forged steel. The cylinder head design was very similar to that of the 365 GTB/4, incorporating dual overhead camshafts and two valves per cylinder. The four camshafts were driven by two timing belts, which reduced noise and weight compared to the timing chains used on earlier 12 cylinder Ferrari engines. Air and fuel were supplied via four 3-bbl Weber 40 IF 3C carburetors. The ignition system consisted of a single Magneti Marelli distributor and two coils. The engine was lubricated by a wet sump, which was replaced by a dry sump in the BB512 to avoid oil starvation issues.
The bodywork of the 1971 Turin Auto Show prototype closely represented that of the production 365 GT4 BB, with some small differences. The prototype had four tail lamps, while the production 365 GT4 BB had six. The prototype's fuel filler was placed below the rear quarter window, but this was relocated to a buttress/sail panel in the production version.
Contemporary press reception to the 365 GT4 BB was positive and journalists praised the car's handling and straight line performance. Bore and stroke were now 82 mm x 78 mm and the compression ratio was increased to 9.2:1. Ferrari sales brochures claimed a peak power output of ; later Ferrari publications revised this to . This was lower than the claimed power of the 365 GT4 BB, but the BB 512 reached peak power at 6200 rpm, lower than the 7000 rpm peak of the previous model. Torque slightly increased to at 4300 rpm. Despite the loss in peak power, the flatter torque curve of the 5 liter engine provided a smoother and more user friendly power delivery. The larger displacement engine also allowed Ferrari to meet more stringent pollution and noise regulations without losing performance.
A dual plate clutch handled the added torque and eased the pedal effort. Dry sump lubrication prevented oil starvation in hard cornering. In order to improve grip, the rear Michelin XWX tires were increased in width to 225 70 VR 15 and the rear wheels were widened from 7.5 inches to 9 inches wide. The front tires remained 215 70 VR 15 on 7.5 inch wide wheels, as on the 365 GT4 BB. The chassis remained unaltered, but these wider rear tires meant the rear track increased to 1563 mm and the rear bodywork was widened accordingly. Camshaft timing was changed and the Magneti Marelli "Dinoplex" electronic ignition system now had a built-in rev limiter. Claimed peak power output was at 6,000 rpm, making the BB 512i the least powerful model in the series.
1,007 examples of the BB 512i were produced between 1981 and 1984. Enzo Ferrari believed that emerging environmental and safety regulations and the 55 MPH national speed limit suggested the company's eight-cylinder cars would suffice in the Malaise era U.S. market. The 365 GT4 BB was also initially planned for a very limited production run, which Ferrari believed could be easily sold in Europe alone.
Americans purchased the Berlinetta Boxer anyway, and both individual consumers and even authorized Ferrari dealers paid to modify each vehicle to meet United States Environmental Protection Agency and United States Department of Transportation regulations.
The first 365/512 BBs to legally arrive in the US were modified by Richard "Dick" Fritz and his company, Amerispec. Fritz entered into an agreement with Ferrari dealer Chinetti Motors, his former employer, to modify and legalize a BB imported by the dealer. At that time there was no set process for determining whether an imported car met US government regulations. In order to resolve this issue, Fritz met with EPA and DOT officials to write a set of rules and tests to determine whether any specific imported car met legal requirements. Once these discussions yielded a set of enforceable requirements, Fritz began modifying BBs to meet them. This modification process, commonly known as "federalization", involved changes to the engine, instrumentation, lighting, seatbelts, and crash reinforcements. Amerispec's federalization process involved over 75 different changes. The front bumper and subframe had to be extensively modified in order to meet the "5 mph" zero damage standard in effect at the time. Carbureted models were modified with a secondary air injection system, catalytic converters, and various tuning adjustments in order to meet US emissions standards. The fuel injected BB 512i required fewer emissions-related modifications. The average cost to federalize a new BB was US$14,000.
! BB 512
! BB 512i
|-
| Power
| at 7200 rpm
| at 6200 rpm
| at 6000 rpm
|-
| Torque
| at 3900 rpm
| at 4600 rpm
| at 4200 rpm
|-
| Redline
| 7000 rpm
| 6800 rpm
| 6600 rpm
|-
| Attainable speed
| @ 7000 rpm
| @ 6200 rpm
| @ 6000 rpm
|-
| 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph)
| 5.4 secs
| n/a
| n/a
|-
| Dry weight
|
|
| n/a
|-
| Kerb weight
| n/a
| n/a
|
|}
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Workshop Manual
! 365 GT4 BB
! BB 512 & BB 512i
|-
| Power
| at 7200 rpm
| at 6200 rpm
|-
| Torque
| at 3900 rpm
| at 4600 rpm
|-
| Redline
| 7000 rpm
| 6600 rpm
|-
| Maximum speed
|
|
|-
| 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph)
| 5.4 secs
| 5.4 secs
|-
| Dry weight
|
|
|-
| Kerb weight
| n/a
| n/a
|}
Racing history
365 GT4 BB
The 365 GT4 BB was never officially raced by Scuderia Ferrari, however Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) raced modified street cars with some factory support. In 1974, NART obtained two 365 GT4 BBs for use in sports car racing. These cars, chassis 18139 and 18095, began as standard road cars and were modified for competition use.
Chassis 18095 was also modified by NART, but not as radically as 18139. Wider wheels were used, measuring 8 in wide front and 11 in wide rear. The wheel arches were flared, a small rear spoiler and racing fuel filler were installed and the interior adapted with safety equipment including a roll bar, harness and fire extinguisher. The engine was standard except for a spacer to increase oil capacity and a new exhaust system. This car was entered in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans, but did not compete as NART withdrew from the race in protest over how the race organizers chose to classify their 308 GT4.
512 BB LM
In 1978, Ferrari began producing a purpose-built competition version of the BB 512, termed the 512 BB LM (also styled 512 BB/LM or 512 BBLM). They were produced in two series, with the first series constructed in 1978 and the second series constructed between late 1978 and 1982.
Ferrari constructed three examples of the series one 512 BB LM in 1978. These had wider wheel arches, a roof-mounted aerofoil, and a rear wing adapted from the front wing of a Ferrari 312T2. Two of these cars were fitted with "long nose" bodywork, which extended the front of the car by several inches and replaced the standard full-width grill with a small oval air inlet. Power from the flat-12 was increased to approximately 400-440 bhp, while the cars' weight was decreased to approximately 1,200 kg (2,646 lb).
alt=512 BB converted to LM spec in 1978 by Ecurie Francorchamps|thumb|512 BB converted to competition spec in 1978 by Ecurie Francorchamps
The three factory S1 BB LMs competed in the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, with two cars entered by Ferrari importer Charles Pozzi and one car entered by NART. Jacques Swaters' Ecurie Francorchamps entered one additional 512 BB, which was converted to competition specification by the team. This car differed from the factory BB LM cars, weighing approximately 100 kg (220 lb) more. None of these cars finished the race due to mechanical issues.
alt=1981 512 BB LM, with updated S2 bodywork including "ground effect" side skirts|thumb|1981 512 BB LM, with updated S2 bodywork including "ground effect" side skirts
The S2 design was further improved in 1980, including vertical side skirts to take advantage of ground effect, a larger air inlet duct in front of the rear wheels and a lighter chassis with fiberglass body panels, reducing weight by 100 kg (220 lb). Some sources refer to these as series 3 cars. Sixteen updated S2 BB LMs were built from 1980 to 1982, bringing the total number of S2 512 BB LMs manufactured to 25.
The 512 BB LM was never raced by Scuderia Ferrari, but was instead campaigned by several independent teams with varying levels of factory support. Teams that used the BB LM in competition include NART, Pozzi, Ecurie Francorchamps, Bellancauto and others. The BB LM was campaigned in World Endurance Championship and IMSA races as well as smaller local events from its introduction in 1978 through 1985. Both S1 and S2 BB LMs had reliability issues that limited their competition success. This was exacerbated by the lack of a factory racing effort, as the BB LM was only raced by private teams with limited budgets and inconsistent factory support. Among the BB LM's best finishes was a fifth overall and first in the GTX class at the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, 6th overall at the 1982 24 hours of Le Mans and 10th overall at the 1980 24 hours of Le Mans. Since their retirement from top-level competition, BB LMs have competed at various vintage racing events worldwide.
An alternative origin story was put forward by Leonardo Fioravanti: He claimed that the "BB" designation was derived from a nickname given to the car by designer Fioravanti, Angelo Bellei and Sergio Scaglietti. During development of the 365 GT4 BB, they began to refer to the car as "Brigitte Bardot", as they perceived the prototype to be exceptionally beautiful like the French actress. This nickname was shortened to "BB" and quickly adopted by other Ferrari factory workers. "Berlinetta Boxer" was later invented by Ferrari officials prior to the model's introduction at the 1971 Turin Auto Show, as it was deemed unseemly to name a Ferrari after the actress.
References
Bibliography
External links
ja:フェラーリ・365GT4BB