Guide: Group 5 Lite - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Ferrari 512 BB Competizione
BACKGROUND
At the end of a 1973 season during which it had been pipped to the World Sportscar Championship by the French state-backed Matra concern, Ferrari elected to focus its racing activities solely on Formula 1.
In the three years prior, Ferrari’s Group 6 programme with the 312 PB had delivered twelve outright victories and the 1972 World Championship for Makes. Meanwhile, in Group 4, the 365 GTB/4C Daytona produced for customer teams most notably yielded a hat-trick of class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hour race.
However, competing across multiple disciplines had cost a small fortune and with already tough trading conditions exacerbated by an Oil Crisis caused by war in the Middle East over the winter of 1973-1974, cuts were essential to ensure Ferrari’s survival.
The decision to abandon Sports Prototype and GT racing seemed to quickly yield dividends; having failed to win a single race during the 1973 F1 season, Ferrari took three victories during 1974 and bagged second in the Constructors’ championship. The Italian team then doubled that haul for 1975 en route to securing its first Driver and Constructor crowns since 1964. Had it not been for a fiery accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix, Niki Lauda would almost certainly have become Drivers’ champion in 1977 when Ferrari secured its second consecutive Constructors’ crown. Nevertheless, Lauda and Ferrari took both titles again in 1978.
Amid this backdrop of a return to form in F1, Ferrari’s absence from Sports Prototype and GT racing had been greatly missed. In the Grand Touring classes, Porsche had been utterly dominant with various iterations of the by now turbocharged 911 and it had been a similar story for top flight Sports Prototypes whenever the German firm decided to compete.
Since 1975, the Le Mans governing body had organised a GTX class for non-homologated Grand Touring Experimental vehicles, a ruleset broadly similar to Group 5 that was subsequently adopted by the IMSA championship from 1977 and for which the normal homologation requirements of 400 base cars within a 24 month period did not apply.
Spotting an opportunity for competition-prepared iterations of the 512 BB to race at Le Mans in the GTX class, Ferrari’s French, US and Belgian distributors, Charles Pozzi, Luigi Chinetti and Jacques Swaters, managed to convince the Maranello firm to delegate some of its F1 personnel to create a last-minute contender for the 1978 24 Hour race.
During the three years prior, Chinetti had raced three different versions of a privately prepared 365 GT4 BB in the GTX class, most notably recording a sixth place finish overall at the ‘75 Sebring 12 Hours and 16th overall at the 1977 Le Mans.
With Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) having proven the BB platform was capable of going the distance in the world’s most punishing endurance races, Ferrari agreed to produce a 512-based car for the ‘78 Le Mans: the 512 BB Competizione.
Initially it was expected a batch of four cars would be readied for Le Mans, but with the project running over time, Jacques Swaters’ Ecurie Francorchamps outfit had to build their own machine out of an existing road car (chassis 22715).
As for the other consecutively numbered trio, chassis 24127 and 24129 went to Charles Pozzi’s operation with chassis 24131 allocated to Luigi Chinetti.
The first 512 BB Competizione was completed in May 1978 and underwent a series of tests, initially at Fiorano and then Paul Ricard which, on account of its 1.8km Mistral Straight, enabled Ferrari to conduct some ultra high speed running.
Technical details of the 512 BB Competizione were not made public and remain hard to come by, but here’s what we do know.
CHASSIS
In order to accommodate much wider versions of the existing Cromodora five-spoke centre-lock wheels (shod with racing tyres), the suspension geometry was modified. Shorter, stiffer springs and firmer dampers were fully adjustable and gave a lower ride height. Larger ventilated brake discs and beefier calipers were also installed along with competition-grade quick-fill fuel cells.
Like the regular 512 BB, the Competizione variant was based around a Tipo F102 BB 100 tubular steel semi monocoque chassis with 2500mm wheelbase and subframes at either end.
Suspension was independent all round with unequal length wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shocks and anti-roll bars. As before, the back end used a twin spring / shock assembly per side to counter the additional weight of the combined engine / transmission assembly.
Brakes ran off a twin circuit with separate systems for each axle.
In standard trim, the 512 BB came with twin fuel tanks that had a combined capacity of 120-litres and which were mounted either side of the engine, up against the rear bulkhead.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
Ferrari is known to have enhanced the Competizione’s five-litre Flat 12 engine with new pistons, high lift camshafts, an increased compression ratio, four bigger triple-choke Weber carburettors, re-tuned electronic ignition, an uprated cooling system and a free-flow centrally exiting four-outlet exhaust system.
The net result was said to be an output of around 440bhp to 460bhp compared to 340bhp for a standard 512 BB.
Rather than having been true horizontally opposed engines, the dry-sumped all-alloy 512 BB motors (Tipo F102B 000) were more accurately described as V-engines with an angle of 180°.
Valve actuation was via two belt-driven overhead camshafts per bank and two valves per cylinder.
Displacement was 4934cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 82mm and 78mm respectively.
Transmission was through a standard five-speed manual gearbox, a ZF limited-slip differential and uprated twin-plate clutch.
BODYWORK
To save weight, many of the 512 BB’s original panels were switched to lightweught units.
Up front, Ferrari added a revised apron with deep chin spoiler, NACA ducts around each corner and re-profiled spats to smooth airflow ahead of the wheels and merge with the flared arches. The front intake aperture and upper lid vent grilles were left off.
Down each flank, all four wheelarch lips were flared to accommodate the wider wheels / tyres and cavities for the quick fuel filler system were carved out from behind each three quarter window.
The windscreen was bonded in place and thus did without the normal rubber shroud to smooth airflow. A single panoramic wiper replaced the pair of wipers normally fitted. The side and rear window glass was replaced with Plexiglas.
Just behind the roof, a modified version of the familiar basket handle-style aerofoil was added. The engine deck lid featured larger snorkel-type air boxes that extended into the airflow while the trio of slatted vents normally installed were ditched for simple grilles.
At the back, Ferrari fitted a rear spoiler imported from the Ferrari 312 T2 F1 car which was attached to a custom twin pylon mounting bolted to the tail fascia. The 512 BB’s normal slatted tail fascia panel was ditched for a simple grille. A new vented rear apron blended smoothly into the flared arches and featured cutaways for the four centrally exiting exhaust pipes instead of the normally shrouded two per side arrangement.
INTERIOR
Inside, the cockpit was stripped of all superfluous luxuries and fitted with a host of special parts.
Directly behind the small diameter three-spoke steering wheel was a cut down dash that housed a large central rev counter flanked by smaller read outs for oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature and fuel. The instrument binnacle and simplified dash were covered with thin anti-glare mousehair-type fabric. A bank of four fluid reservoirs were left exposed for ease of access off to the right-hand side of the dash.
A single bucket seat with racing harness was upholstered in blue fabric and replaced the normal pair of leather-trimmed chairs.
Off to the right of the driver’s seat was a now fully exposed gear shift mechanism and a rudimentary central control panel that housed the fuseboard and other essential switchgear.
Access to the cockpit required the driver to scramble over a the roll cage.
The normal door trim panels were junked along with all the carpet and sound insulation.
WEIGHT / PERFORMANCE
The three official cars that lined up at Le Mans in 1978 weighed between 1204kg and 1221kg compared to 1400kg for a standard 512 BB.
Top speed would likely have been in the region of 185mph (up from 168mph). Depending on gearing, a 0-62mph time of around 4.2 seconds would have been possible.
FOURTH COPY
Owing to the late completion of the three official cars (chassis 24127, 24129 and 24131), Ferrari’s Belgian distributor team, Ecurie Francorchamps, had to build their own 512 BB Competizione out of an existing road car using a mixture of factory-supplied and improvised parts.
This fourth example, chassis 22715, most notably differed on account of its substantially larger front and rear spoilers, flying buttress-mounted engine cooling scoops and revised brake cooling solutions along with the installation of custom Lucas mechanical fuel-injection and Marelli electronic ignition systems.
It was also around 100kg heavier than the official trio of works-prepared cars.
1978 LE MANS 24 HOURS
The 1978 Le Mans 24 Hours took place over the weekend of June 10th and 11th. Among the field of 55 starters were nine IMSA GTX class entries, the most highly fancied of which were a brace of Porsche 935s from Dick Barbour Racing and a Falconer & Dunn-powered DeKon Chevrolet Monza brought by Brad Frissell and entered by Wynn’s International Belgium.
As for the new Ferraris, the two French-owned cars ran under a Charles Pozzi – Thomposon – JMS Racing entry in striking red and white colour schemes while the red and black US machine appeared under a Luigi Chinetti Sr. entry.
Fastest of the 512 BBs in qualifying was the number 89 Pozzi entry driven by Claude Ballot-Lena and Jean-Louis Lafosse (chassis 24129) which started 33rd.
One place back was the number 88 Pozzi entry (chassis 24127) of Jean-Claude Andruet and Spartaco Dini.
36th on the grid was the number 87 Chinetti car (chassis 24131) driven by Jean-Piere Delaunay, Jacques Guerin and Gregg Young.
Given its heavier specification, the number 85 yellow and black Ecurie Francorchamps machine (chassis 22715) was unsurprisingly slowest of the 512 BBs. It was to be piloted by Teddy Pilette, Nick Faure, Jean Blaton and Raymond Tourol and started from 42nd.
As for the much more powerful IMSA GTX entires, the brand new twin turbo Porsche 935 of Brian Redman, John Paul Sr. and Dick Barbour qualified 16th, the DeKon Monza of Brad Frisselle, Robert Kirby and John Hotchkis (which blew an engine in second practice) started 25th and the single turbo Dick Barbour 935 driven by Bob Garretson, Bob Akin and Steve Earle qualified 31st.
The number 87 Chinetti and number 89 Pozzi Ferraris both started the race with an air-piercing nose extension. However, none of the Ferraris made it to the finish.
First to go was the Ecurie Francorchamps / Jean Blaton entry which retired during the fifth hour with transmission failure.
Next was the Ballot-Lena / Lafosse machine in the 18th hour followed by the Chinetti entry an hour later and finally the Andruet / Dini BB early on Sunday afternoon with all three cars afflicted by some kind of engine / transmission failure.
The 1978 Le Mans IMSA GTX class ultimately fell to the Redman / Paul Sr. / Barbour Porsche 935 which finished fifth overall. By contrast, the second Dick Barbour 935 was destroyed in a frightening 200mph crash that miraculously saw the driver (Bob Garretson) emerge unhurt.
LEGACY
Having realised a much more specialised car would be needed to do well at Le Mans, Ferrari went on to create the radically modified 512 BB LM for 1979.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed & RM Sotheby’s - https://rmsothebys.com/
