VIN: the works / NART Ferrari 312 P chassis 0870
History of chassis 0870
Chassis 0870 was one of three 312 Ps constructed by Ferrari.
The 312 P was created to contest the three-litre Group 6 category of the 1969 World Championship.
A three-litre engine limit had been imposed from 1968 to try and reduce speeds, but the FIA’s unilateral decision upset a lot of manufacturers. Enzo Ferrari was so dismayed that he refused to participate in 1968.
However, Ferrari returned for 1969 when the 312 P went head-to-head with similar machinery from Porsche, Matra, Mirage, Alpine and Alfa Romeo.
0870 was the second 312 P to appear after chassis 0868. Both cars were initially completed as Spyders.
0870 made its maiden appearance at the annual Le Mans Test weekend where it was allocated to Chris Amon and Ernesto Brambilla. Significantly, Porsche arrived with the new 917, a car that would change the face of the sport over the next couple of years.
Unfortunately, 0870 missed the first timed session after a stone was thrown up and holed the radiator. Amon ultimately went on to post fifth quickest time.
At the Monza 1000km four weeks later, 0870 was entered for Chris Amon and Mario Andretti. It started from pole even though Andretti had crumpled the car’s nose in practice.
In the race, the Ferraris made superb starts. Andretti then dropped to third behind Jo Siffert’s Porsche and Pedro Rodriguez in the sister 312 P.
On lap 14, Andretti came crawling round to the pits with a flat tyre. He rejoined in sixth, but by the time Amon took over, 0870 had recovered to second.
However, Amon only did a lap-and-a-half before the oil pressure zeroed. He returned to the pits on foot after abandoning the car out on the circuit with crankshaft failure.
Later on, Rodriguez was involved in a scary accident which practically destroyed the sister car. It was not raced again which left 0870 as the sole 312 P until a new chassis arrived at Le Mans.
Amon was supposed to share 0870 with Rodriguez at Spa, but the Mexican was ill and David Piper was called up instead. A new engine had been fitted and the anti-dive geometry was removed.
0870 qualified fourth and finished second, three-and-a-half minutes behind the Siffert / Redman Porsche.
Its next appearance was at the Nurburgring 1000km for which the ride height was increased and a new fuel reservoir was fitted to counteract the effect of fuel surge when on low tanks.
Once again, qualifying was a battle between Siffert and Ferrari. The Swiss eventually took pole by one tenth of a second from the 312 P which lined up second.
In the race, 0870 had a troubled run interspersed with lap records to try and catch up. It was retired on lap 29 with electrical problems.
For the Le Mans 24 Hours, 0870 was converted to Berlinetta trim to match the new car, chassis 0872. Porsche 917s took first and second spots on the grid, a pair of long-tailed 908s were third and fourth and Rodriguez / Piper were fifth in 0870.
Unfortunately, the race was marred by the fatal opening lap accident of John Woolfe in his brand new 917. The sister Ferrari was caught up in the melee and retired on the spot.
As the race wore on, 0870 began to consume a great deal of oil. It only ever ran on the periphery of the top ten and was retired at 5:20am with transmission failure.
After Le Mans, 0870 was sold to Ferrari’s US importer, Luigi Chinetti (along with 0872). Enzo Ferrari had signed a buyout deal with Fiat and, flush with cash, il Commendatore abandoned the 312 P programme to concentrate on a five-litre 917 challenger for 1970.
Chinetti had Pedro Rodriguez drive 0870 at the Bridgehampton Can-Am race in September 1969 where it finished fifth.
For 1970, chassis 0870 played second fiddle to Chinetti’s new 512s, but the car did make appearances at Daytona (fifth) and Sebring (DNF). It should have raced at Le Mans as well, but failed to start after a sponsorship deal fell through.
Chinetti sold 0870 straight after Le Mans to legendary Ferrari collector, Pierre Bardinon.
Notable History
312 P Spyder
Scuderia Ferrari, Maranello
30/03/1969 IND Le Mans Test (C. Amon / E. Brambilla) 5th oa, 3rd P3.0 class (#18)
25/04/1969 WSC Monza 1000km (M. Andretti / C. Amon) DNF (#1)
11/05/1969 WSC Spa 1000km (P. Rodriguez / D. Piper) 2nd oa, 2nd P3.0 class (#8)
01/06/1969 WSC Nurburgring 1000km (C. Amon / P. Rodriguez) DNF (#7)
Converted to Berlinetta trim
15/06/1969 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (P. Rodriguez / D. Piper) DNF (#18)
Sold to Luigi Chinetti (NART), New York, USA
14/09/1969 CAM Bridgehampton (P. Rodriguez) 5th oa (#12)
01/02/1970 WSC Daytona 24 Hours (T. Adamowicz / D. Piper) 5th oa, 2nd P class (#23)
21/03/1970 WSC Sebring 12 Hours (T. Adamowicz / L. Chinetti Jr.) DNF (#23)
14/06/1970 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (T. Adamowicz / S. Posey) T-car (#39)
Sold to Pierre Bardinon, France
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed
