One to Buy: ex-Georg Loos 1970 Ferrari 512 S / M
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Thanks to an influx of Fiat cash in exchange for 50% of his company, Enzo Ferrari was able to create 25 examples of the Porsche 917-rivalling 512 S for 1970.
That season, the 512 S was raced by Scuderia Ferrari along with its various distributor teams and a small number or privateers. Undoubtedly the highlight of the year was victory for Ignazio Giunti and Nino Vaccarella at the Sebring 12 Hours, but thanks to a practically unlimited budget, Porsche ultimately went on to claim the 1970 World Sportscar Championship.
With the German firm having teased all kinds of elaborate upgrades for next season and the five-litre Group 5 category only having one year left to run, Ferrari elected to focus on its three-litre Group 6 car, the 312 P, for 1971. However, an updated 512 M was also developed for 1971 and 15 of the 25 512s that had already been built were uprated to this latest specification.
Currently on offer with Tom Hartley Jnr. is one of those 512s campaigned throughout the 1970 and ‘71 season: chassis 1018.
Originally supplied to Cologne-based property magnate and privater race team owner, Georg Loos, chassis 1018 started life as a 512 S Berlinetta and was subsequently converted to Spyder trim after the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours. For 1971, Loos had the car enhanced to 512 M trim which meant it went back to a Berlinetta body.
Highlights of its two seasons in frontline competition included a brace of wins at Zolder, second in class at the Nurburgring 1000km, two outings at the Le Mans 24 Hours and four top seven placings at Interserie events.
More recently, the Ferrari Classiche certified car has undergone a sympathetic restoration by world-renowned specialists, Autofficina Bonini in Reggio Emilia.
