Guide: Ferrari Pininfarina 512 S Speciale
Background
After a one year absence from the World Sportscar Championship in protest at the implementation of a three-litre engine limit that made his existing cars obsolete, Enzo Ferrari decided to return with a brand new machine for the 1969 campaign. The resultant 312 P was a Group 6 Spider (and later Berlinetta) reserved exclusively for use by Scuderia Ferrari.
Three examples of the 312 P were built: chassis 0868, 0870 and 0872.
Unfortunately, chassis 0868 sustained heavy damage at the Monza 1000km in April 1969. After a puncture caused a piece of fibreglass behind one of the rear tyres to come adrift, air got into the tail section which then blew off at high speed. 0868 went into an enormous 100 metre spin after which the car slammed backwards into the barrier.
The driver, Pedro Rodriguez, was lucky to escape unhurt, but 0868 played no further part in the 1969 campaign.
Instead, it was taken back to the factory and dismantled.
During the summer of 1969, the chassis was used as part of the 512 S design programme; 0868 was rebuilt with a 512 S-style rear-end, re-numbered 002 and fitted with a 612 Can-Am engine block (number 0866).
After this phase of its life was complete, the rolling chassis was dispatched to Pininfarina where it was transformed into a design concept.
After the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale-based Bertone Carabo was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1968, designers were quick to transition to its exciting new wedge design language.
Pininfarina were already working on their own such concepts; first to arrive was the Dino 206 S-based P6 (Turin Motor Show November 1968) which was followed by the Abarth SE 010-based 2000 Scorpio (Brussels Motor Show January 1969).
These two cars were followed by a further evolution of the theme using chassis 0868: the Ferrari 512 S Speciale which took its bow at the Turin Motor Show in October 1969
Bodywork
The 512 S Speciale was Pininfarina’s most extreme interpretation of wedge design yet.
At the front of the car was an air-piercing nose with a slim rectangular intake aperture and correspondingly styled indicators. Further up, retractable headlights were adopted, behind which were a bank or slatted air vents. A pair of larger vents were located on the front lid just below the windscreen scuttle.
The windscreen itself was a softly curved single piece of glass, either side of which were two massive intakes to feed the rear-mounted radiators. The entire upper body in the centre of the car lifted up as a single-piece canopy in order to access the cockpit. There were no side windows of any kind.
At the back of the car was a truncated cutaway tail that partially enclosed the rear wheels. The upper section of the single-piece rear bodywork was home to four massive banks of vents that were painted satin black to contrast the otherwise yellow bodywork.
A slim tail fascia was home to a pair of ultra modern light clusters and a full width opening dressed with a black meshed grille.
For sheer visual drama, the 512 S Speciale was arguably the most spectacular show car of 1969.
Interior
Cockpit aesthetics were constrained by the restrictive nature of the cramped 312 P underpinnings and the low slung exterior.
In between the massive sills were heavily reclined single piece seats split by a tall central divider. The seats were trimmed in a mixture of black vinyl and tartan fabric.
The rev counter was located in a cowl directly behind the three-spoke Momo steering wheel. The rest of the instrumentation was housed in a rectangular binnacle laid out horizontally in front of the passenger.
To the driver’s right-hand side was a control panel with an array of switchgear plus the gear lever and a pair of levers to open the enormous lift-up body sections.
Chassis
The Ferrari 312 P chassis upon which Pininfarina built the 512 S Speciale was a semi monocoque with steel tubes and fibreglass panels riveted and bonded in place.
The wheelbase was 2370mm and a 60-litre fuel tank was mounted in each sill.
Fully adjustable suspension was via double wishbones, coil springs and Koni shocks plus anti-roll bars at either end. The suspension set up was largely derived from Ferrari’s 1969 312 Formula 1 car, albeit with outboard springs at the front.
Ventilated disc brakes were supplied by Girling.
15-inch diameter Campagnolo wheels were shod with Firestone tyres. These centre-locking magnesium alloy rims measured 10.5-inches wide at the front and 13.5-inches wide at the rear.
Engine / Gearbox
In addition to the back end upgrades trialled in anticipation of building the 512 S racing car for 1970, chassis 0868 was modified to incorporate a big-block 612 Can-Am engine. At the time, the 612 power unit was the closest thing Ferrari had to the engine that was being developed for the 1970 512 S.
At 6.2-litres, the 612 engine was Ferrari’s largest yet. It was an all-alloy 60° V12 with dry-sump lubrication, dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and Lucas fuel-injection. Displacement was 6222cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 92mm and 78mm respectively.
Single plug ignition was employed along with a 10.5:1 compression ratio.
Peak output was 620bhp at 7000rpm.
Unlike the 312 P and 512 S (which used five-speed gearboxes), the 612 Can-Am ran a four-speed ‘box with triple plate Borg & Beck clutch and a ZF limited slip differential.
Subsequent History
After its show career was over, Pininfarina sold the 512 S Speciale to a private collector in Italy.
It has since gone through the hands of several more custodians.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Pininfarina - https://pininfarina.it
