One to Buy: untouched ex-Luigi Chinetti 1 of 3 built 1978 Ferrari 512 BB Competizione
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Although the 512 BB’s normally aspirated five-litre Flat 12 engine had no hope of matching the monster horsepower ratings achieved by Porsche’s turbocharged three-litre Flat 6 in the pre-eminent 935, Ferrari agreed to produce a trio of Berlinetta Boxers for a couple of their distributor teams to contest the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Under Fiat majority ownership, Ferrari began to focus almost exclusively on Formula 1 which inevitably left Prancing Horse concessionaires that wanted to go racing frustrated.
Head of Ferrari’s North American division, Luigi Chinetti, had already campaigned BBs built by his own team at Le Mans – when Charles Pozzi joined the fray and also began to lobby Enzo Ferrari for a proper factory-prepared Berlinetta Boxer, il Commendatore caved and the 512 BB Competizione was the result.
One of those three cars is set to go under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey between August 17th and 19th.
Chassis 24131 was the example supplied to Luigi Chinetti for NART (the other pair having gone to Pozzi). Driven by Jean-Pierre Delaunay, Jacques Guerin and NART-backer Gregg Young, 24131 unfortunately retired from the race on Sunday morning with gearbox trouble.
Remarkably, this most significant Ferrari has resided in the hands of one collector since 1981 and remains in completely unrestored condition.
