One to Buy: ex-Ecurie Francorchamps 1970 Ferrari 512 S / M
The two-year battle for World Sportscar Championship supremacy in 1970 and 1971, when extraordinary five-litre Group 5 cars from Porsche and Ferrari went head-to-head with one another, quickly came to be regarded as a golden contest.
To qualify for the Group 5 Sports class, 25 cars had to be built with engines of up to five-litres permitted. By contrast, the Group 6 Prototype category had no minimum production requirement but engines were limited to three-litres.
Porsche’s massive financial commitment to meet the 25-car production run was matched a few weeks after the 917 was unveiled by a similar commitment from Ferrari following a major cash injection from Fiat. In addition to cars reserved for works use, Ferrari sold examples of the 512 S to various distributor teams and the odd privateer.
Heading for auction at RM Sotheby’s Paris sale on February 5th is the 512 S supplied to Ecurie Francorchamps, the racing division of Belgian Ferrari importer, Garage Francorchamps, run by Jacques Swaters.
The yellow 512 S finished eighth on its World Sportscar Championship debut at the 1970 Spa 1000km, after which it collected a fifth place finish at the Le Mans 24 Hours (wearing low drag Coda Lunga rear bodywork). It then bagged sixth at the Springbok series main event, the Kyalami 9 Hours.
After attending the flyaway races of early 1971 (sixth at the Buenos Aires 1000km and a DNF at Daytona), chassis 1030 was uprated to the latest M specification.
In the car’s first race with its new M specification, the 1971 Le Mans 24 Hours, the transmission unfortunately failed at three quarters distance. Ecurie Francorchamps then sold chassis 1030 to British privateer, Alain de Cadanet, after it had won the Zandvoort Beneulux Cup.
In its final outing at World Championship level, chassis 1030 posted a fourth place finish at the Watkins Glen 6 Hours, following which de Cadanet entered that weekend’s Can-Am race. It was then sold to JCB Director Anthony Bamford over the winter of 1971-1972 and thereafter raced at club level in the UK.
Offered with Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification.
Reprinted below is RM Sotheby’s description:
Chassis No.: 1030
Engine No.: 261 C
Gearbox No.: 603
Registration: Bill of Sale Only
One of just 25 Ferrari 512 race cars constructed between 1970 and 1971
Supplied new to Ecurie Francorchamps in May 1970; the last sports prototype to be raced by the Belgian team
Upgraded to ‘M’ specifications in 1971, making it just one of 15 in existence
Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans entrant, placing 5th overall in the 1970 edition
The only Ferrari 512 supplied new by Ferrari in Giallo
Fascinating competition history, racing throughout 1970 and 1971 with drivers including Derek Bell and Alain de Cadenet
Represents the peak of early 1970s Ferrari sports prototype engineering
When the Group 6 regulations changed in 1968—suddenly requiring engines to be no greater than 3.0 litres in displacement—Enzo Ferrari decided not to compete. By 1969, the requirements had changed again, and a loophole created, which rival marque Porsche took full advantage of with the advent of the 917.
Following Fiat’s partial acquisition of Ferrari, its company founder took the influx of much-needed cash and ploughed it into developing a sports prototype that could compete against the Porsche 917 in the 1970 racing season.
Dubbed the 512 S, only 25 cars were built and powered by a brand new 5.0-litre V-12 engine producing 552 horsepower. Ferrari rushed to meet the homologation requirement of 25 cars, presenting 17 complete cars with eight knock-down kits to the homologation authorities in January 1970, just in time to compete at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Chassis 1030 was one of the 17 Ferrari 512 S that would compete in the 1970 endurance racing season. It was sold new in the spring of 1970 to the Belgian Ferrari concessionaire and racing team, Ecurie Francorchamps. The bodywork was painted Giallo, the only 512 to receive this colour (save for chassis 1002, which was painted Lemon Yellow).
Making its debut on 17 May 1970, drivers Derek Bell and Hugues de Fierlandt qualified in 7th and finished 8th overall at the 1000 Km of Spa. Their next outing was over the 13 and 14 June for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Alistair Walker and de Fierlant placed an impressive 5th overall and 4th in the 5.0-litre class.
That autumn, chassis 1030 made its bow on the big screen, deployed by Steve McQueen for the filming of Le Mans. It then headed to South Africa for the 9 Hours of Kyalami, where it finished 6th overall and 3rd in class. For the 1971 season, on 10 January, Gustave Gosselin and de Fierlandt entered the 1000 Km of Buenos Aires. Sporting race number “18”, the Belgian duo finished 6th overall and 4th in class. The pair returned to the Americas over 30 and 31 January to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona. They qualified in 11th but during the race they were forced to retire on the 124th lap due to oil pressure issues.
Following Daytona, chassis 1030 returned to Belgium, where it became one of the 15 Ferrari 512s to be upgraded to ‘M’ specifications; the ‘M’ standing for modificata. The new engine was reduced in weight, given more efficient cylinder heads, and now produced 610 horsepower. New lower bodywork improved the aerodynamics and was finished again in yellow.
Following its upgrade, Ecurie Francorchamps fielded the car in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Alain de Cadenet driving with de Fierlant. Qualifying in 10th, with six-hundredths separating them from 6th place, the duo unfortunately suffered from gearbox issues and were forced to retire early.
The next outing on 4 July was far more successful, with de Fierlant claiming outright victory at Zandvoort in the Coupes Benelux. Later that month, de Cadenet and Lothar Motschenbacher raced in the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, placing 4th overall and 3rd in their class. The following day, de Cadenet finished 18th in the Can-Am race.
This marked the end of chassis 1030’s racing days, and the car was acquired by de Cadenet, who in turn sold to British collector Neil Corner that year, who later sold the car to Lord Anthony Bamford in 1972. Lord Bamford entered the 512 M into the MN GT championship that year, with all seven appearances resulting in 1st-place finishes.
Since the 1970s, chassis 1030 has been owned by various renowned collectors across the globe, and was acquired by the consignor in 2018, remaining as part of his private collection.
Today, the car sports its 1971 livery and is still painted in the fabulous Francorchamps yellow. It is accompanied by a report from the marque historian Marcel Massini while the car was certified by Ferrari Classiche in 2005, and is accompanied by its "Red Book".
It should be noted that chassis 1030 is widely considered one of the finest examples of the Ferrari 512 M, having never suffered a major collision in period. The vehicle is a wonderful example of preservation.
