Oct 9

Oct 9 VIN: the works Ferrari 512 S chassis 1038

Ben Tyer

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History of chassis 1038

Chassis 1038 was one of 25 Ferrari 512 S built to contest the 1970 World Sportscar Championship.

Reserved for use as a works car, the red Berlinetta made its debut at the Spa 1000km on May 17th where it was allocated to Ferrari’s number one driver pairing: Jacky Ickx and John Surtees.

During Friday practice, 1038 looked in very good shape with Spa specialist Ickx quickest. However, after just a few laps on Saturday, the car devoured a piston which necessitated an engine change.

Nevertheless, Ickx’s Friday time proved good enough to qualify third behind the Gulf Racing Porsche 917s of Rodriguez / Kinnunen and Siffert / Redman.

The early stages of the race saw Siffert, Rodriguez and Ickx pull clear of rest of field. The three cars repeatedly slipstreamed each other down the Masta straight and took turns to break the lap record.

After the first hour, Rodriguez began to pull away until a long pit stop for the Mexican promoted Ickx into the lead.

By mid-distance, Surtees had taken over from Ickx and was second behind Redman. Rodriguez was third and doing a double stint trying to make up for lost time.

Ickx took over from Surtees for the final session, but despite his best efforts, was unable to catch Siffert who finished three-and-a-half minutes up the road.

After finishing second at Spa, chassis 1038’s next appearance was at the Le Mans 24 Hours (June 13th and 14th). No less than eleven 512s were in attendance: four works cars, three from Scuderia Filipinetti, two from NART and single entries from Ecurie Francorchamps and Escuderia Montjuich.

Like most of the Ferraris, 1038 ran with new long tailed Coda Lunga rear bodywork.

For Le Mans, the works cars had engines with subtle changes to the camshaft profiles, injection trumpets and exhaust manifolds.

After the first practice session, the Scuderia Ferrari mechanics spent Wednesday night fitting a special gearbox with larger bearings into 1038.

As usual, Ickx took a relaxed approach to qualifying. He did very little practice and was instead content to scrub a few tyres and bed in brake pads and discs. He and Peter Schetty lined up sixth for the race.

Following John Woolfe’s fatal accident on the opening lap of the 1969 Le Mans race, proceedings got underway with the drivers already in their cars and safety harnesses on.

Ickx made a conservative start and, by lap ten, was eighth. By the two hour mark, he had worked his way up to third behind the Porsche 917s of Ahrens Jr. and Redman.

Soon afterwards, Ferrari took a bitter blow; an accident eliminated four 512s when Derek Bell, Clay Regazzoni and Mike Parkes encountered the slow moving Filipinetti car of Rene Wisell which had oil over its windscreen.

By midnight, rain was coming down. Ickx and Schetty had moved 1038 into second behind the Gulf 917 of Siffert / Redman.

Then disaster struck.

At 1:45am, Ickx was slowing for the Ford chicane in close company with the lead car (albeit four laps behind). The Ferrari’s rear brake locked and 1038 span on the wet circuit. It went over a sand bank and hit a marshal who was killed instantly.

The Ferrari briefly caught fire although Ickx, shocked and naturally very upset, was unhurt.

1038 returned to the factory and was written off.