(Update: the missing last two pages of the BB review are now there)
We don’t do exotics often here at CC, but these two deserve a backwards look, given how iconic they turned out to be. Well, that applies much more to the Countach, which unlike the BB, was eventually federalized and sold in the US, and became the pin up of choice (along with Farah Fawcett) for boys of a certain age in the mid 70s. And that has to include more than a few of you. And yes, I’ll include Farah at the end, if it will entice you to make the jump. As well as some automotive equivalent (or even superior) eye candy.
Let’s do the BB first, as it’s the older of the two cars here. I’ll let the text describe the technical aspects of the first production mid-engine Ferrari (The Dino was technically not a Ferrari), which needless to say was the biggest sea change in the history of that storied brand. Front V12 engines had been the norm since the first 125S of 1947, with its tiny 1.5 L V12. The Daytona was the last of the line, in terms of the highest-performance road going Farraris, and it did valiant battle against the revolutionary mid-engine Lamborghini Miura, but the writing was on the wall.
The BB also broke ground stylistically, as was of course necessary for such a change in proportions. It, and every subsequent mid-engine Ferrari—with the sole exception of the Bertone-styled 308 GT4—have their roots and inspiration in Pininfarina’s 1965 Dino Berlinetta Speciale. The DNA in this low and svelte race-car inspired mid-engine coupe are on full display in today’s 488.
I’m getting distracted by this eye candy already, but can you blame me? Oh, and before I forget, this very car, in original condition, was sold just last week at auction for $4.7 million. And that’s with an empty engine case and transmission. Look, but don’t try to drive. Fine art is more expensive than ever.
The next step was the 1966 365P Berlinetta Special, of which only two were built, It has a V12 in the middle, and was actually built on a racing chassis. Note the wild middle driving position, flanked by two seats somewhat to the rear.
The “Tre Posti” was a pet project of Sergio Pininfarina, and was shown at all the major auto shows in 1966 along with the new Lamborghini Miura. Enzo Ferrari felt that the 380 hp car would be “too dangerous”, and did not allow it to be developed into a production Miura-fighter. Bad call.
Even though the Daytona acquitted itself in both looks and performance, the mid-engine revolution could not be held back any longer, and Ferrari had no choice but to develop its successor in that format. It was previewed as the 1971 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer. Ironically, its flat 12 cylinder engine was not a genuine boxer with opposing piston crank throws 180° apart, but was a V12 with its cylinder banks widened to 180°, but opposing pistons sharing the same crank throw. But it was very beautiful, despite the minor deceit in its lyrical name. The production version wasn’t ready until 1973.
As I alluded to at the top, the BB was never federalized, but a few examples ended up in the US, one way or another. Interestingly, this example was previously owned by a Kuwait sheik before being sold to the current owner. I say that because in the winter of 1976-1976, my last in Iowa City, there was a yellow BB being driven around downtown and the campus by what appeared to be an Arab student. I was utterly blown away the first time I saw it, since I knew their status. And here was one being puttered around all winter in the horrible snow, sludge and of course salt. It was really painful to watch, with its flanks sullied by grey salty grime. I wonder if this tested one was the same one? Was the Kuwait sheik’s son at the UI that winter?
Like so many first-generation mid engine cars, the ergonomics sucked, big time. No seat-back angle adjustment. No steering wheel adjustment. No arm rests (!). Etc. But it ran like the wind, and was the fastest car ever tested by R&T. Top speed was an honest 175 mph. Lower speed acceleration numbers weren’t as impressive as might be expected, due to a recalcitrant clutch and gearbox.
But once under way, the BB picked up its skirts and scooted right along. Handling “is an enthusiast’s delight”, and the BB set a record in the slalom test. There was plenty of understeer built in, until the throttle is put to use in changing that to power oversteer. And a 5 liter version was already in the works.
On the next object of veneration. This is not a proper R&T review, but more of a driving impression, since there was no actual testing. But driving a Countach was undoubtedly a highly memorable experience, especially taking it up to 174 mph on a California freeway during the 55 mph era. The first ticket came within the first 30 minutes of the drive from LA to Phoenix, when they weren’t even trying to go fast. Doing 55 in a Countach is nigh near impossible.
Since the B&W shots don’t do it justice, let’s take a quick detour and spend a few minutes with Marcello Gandini’s (as of yet unsullied) masterpiece. He had also designed the Miura, although there’s absolutely no continuity between them, unlike the Pininfarina blood line. This is the initial production version, the LP400 from 1973.
It was a revolutionary shape, to put it mildly, when the LP500 prototype first appeared. This was really radical for 1971; totally blew me away, just as the Miura had in 1966. Sadly, only this original prototype properly shows the form that Gandini was going for, even the first production version of 1973 had have modifications to keep the V12 cool. Never mind the later fender flares and wings that came later; “spoilers” in the true sense of the word.
Needless to say, the scissors doors become iconic, and will forever be know as “Lambo doors”. Are folks still putting Lambo door kits on regular cars? Or has that enduring fad finally petered out?
Back to the article. I’ve digressed way too much, and it’s getting late, so you can read it without my Cliff Notes version.
I love that drawing at the bottom. Don’t you wish you had done that when you were a kid? Isn’t it the ultimate super car? Everything since then is just a regurgitation of the the same theme.
So which Lambo poster was up on your bedroom wall?
If you did have one of those, no doubt you also had this.
The first time I saw a Lamborghini Countach, I found it more attractive than the Ferrari Berlinetta. Overall, the Berlinetta was attractive, but I thought the Countach had a more attractive front end appearance.
De gustibus non est disputandum. In matters of taste, there is no dispute. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This 512BBi as seen driven in the wild, somewhere in Ohio, the flow of the front end design treatment speaks for itself.
these cars over the past ten years have skyrocketed in value. i wish i bought one or two or three back then. even the 308 went up like gang busters. the bb is beautiful. countach is too…. but really hard to drive.
Hey now, some of us had the Countach up on our walls in the early 80s. (Maybe I was just a bit behind. 🙂 )
Where’s the last page of the Ferrari’s article?
It leaves off with “This set of circumstances prompted the >>>—-> ” and that’s it.
Oops! I got so distracted with the other eye candy last night…It’s now been added. Sorry.
Thank you!
Countach will always be the quintessential exotic in my mind.
I didn’t have the poster…but I did have a few school folders of it in its later days. Stuff like this:
We have all sorts of things going on at the place, where I work. Including car shows or cars included in other sorts of sales promotions and fairs. Here is one of them.
Who does not enjoy the look of this one.
Every time I see one of those the Magnum PI theme plays in my head.
I’ve still got the Farrah poster rolled up in a tube somewhere around here. What a beauty!
Everytime I see that poster, the song “pictures of lily” by The Who ques up in my brain…
One of the most humorous pictures of the Ferrari Boxer, courtesy of Peter Egan and R&T. An off roading misadventure in Canada.
As an aside, the handling of the 512BBi , the 3rd series of the Boxer was cursed by the very flexible sidewalls of the Michelin TRX tires mounted to this series, compared to the extremely stiff sidewalls of the Michelin XWX’s mounted to the earlier carburetor series of 365GT BB and the 512BB. The very flexible TRX sidewalls contributed to the BBi Boxer’s reputation of “snap oversteer” at the limit.
The name “Boxer” was a marketing decision, and Ferrari was maligned, seemingly to eternity, for producing a flat 12 which was in actuality not a “boxer design”. Ah, why call it a Boxer when it isn’t an actual boxer design? Marketing apparently trumps common sense and reality.
The Ferrari flat twelve was a 180 degree V12 where each pair of cylinders, pistons, and connecting rods shared a common crankshaft throw, and not the classic true boxer design of each connecting rod having its own separate crankshaft throw 180 degrees out of phase from its companion. The Porsche 917 12 cylinder racing engine was also in actuality a flat 12 and not a true boxer engine design. (Imagine, a non-boxer Porsche. Oh, the horror of it all! Porsche survived with a great racing engine as a consolation prize! ) Subsequently Alfa Romeo for its 12 cylinder racing engine chose the flat 12 shared crankshaft throw engine design, also not a true boxer design.
There is no shame in having a flat twelve engine configuration since the design is ultimately smooth, being essentially two inherently smooth 6 cylinder engine sharing one crankshaft.
The other complaint about the Ferrari 365 GT BB, 512BB, the 512BBi, and the subsequent design of the subsequent Flat 12 Testarossa, was the positioning of the engine above the transaxle. This was done as a packaging solution by the Ferrari/Fiat production engineers, and this positioning had been done in the earlier Dino 206/246 series GT’s, and then in the 308 and 328 Series GT’s. A similar packaging solution was done by Issigonis for the design of the classic well handling 1959 Austin Mini. So this was a long standing packaging solution for the mid engined non racing Ferrari GT’s.
In the Countach, its packaging solution was to place the gearbox forward of the engine, elevate the engine crankshaft (also elevating the rear center of gravity), and then run a driveshaft rearward through the sump to the differential assembly behind the rear of the engine keeping all engine and transmission masses ahead of the rear axle line thereby attempting to minimize rearward mass bias. This positioning of the final drive behind the engine distinguishes it from the Ferrari Boxer, and makes the Countach the easier to handle.
The complaints by magazine testers was the effect of the BB engine sitting above the transaxle adversely affected handling due to the elevated position of the crankshaft mass in the rear of the car. The Ferrari 206/246 and the follow-up 308/328 series, utilizing essentially the same transaxle design, had elevated crankshaft mass and the masses additionally of the cylinders and heads contributing to an elevated Center of Gravity. This elevation of mass in the 206/246 and 308/328 series didn’t really adversely affect rearward weight bias because the rear axle centerline was behind the engine/transaxle/differential mass. When the 308GTB was introduced, Bob Bondurant tested one for R&T and praised its handling on the race track. The elevated crankshaft of the 308 didn’t matter, just like it didn’t matter or hurt the handling of the original Mini
In the BB design, power was delivered from the rear of the engine through a series of 3 quill gears to a shaft providing power to the transaxle lying under the BB crankshaft and with power going forward, delivered to the differential actually forward of the rear of the engine/flywheel assembly with several of the cylinders, part of the crankshaft, and the heavy flywheel behind/rearward to the position of the rear axle centerline. In effect increasing rearward mass/weight bias of all the BB/Testarossa GT’s, especially compared to the Countach. This positioning ,in effect gave the BB a partial rear engine configuration resulted in these Flat 12 Ferraris having heavier rearward weight bias with handling characteristics more similar to 911 Porsches.
With decent tire sidewall stiffness, modern tire compounds, and biased tire inflation pressures, the BB/Testarossa flat 12 cars are very entertaining, decent handling cars, as entertaining as older air cooled 911 Porsches where throttle position is used to control weight balance and throttle controlled oversteer before tire limits are reached.
Its easier to drive a Countach than a Boxer at the limit, but the Boxer like the 911 is subjectively more challenging and more fun in the control of the steering effects of throttle lift oversteer.
Additionally the Boxer/Testarossa is more challenging to drive at the limit compared to the 911 since the engine mass of the 12 cylinder engine is greater, almost double the mass of the 911’s air cooled engine. Mass control by throttle position is unbelievably entertaining. Paul N has also described that experience when he drove rear engined VW Bugs and Corvairs. Smiles, miles of smiles. Everyone should experience a rear engined car without nanny controls at least once in a lifetime.
Bob, the hero of this Canadian off-road misadventure in the photo, likely wishes he had not learned the hard way about throttle lift oversteer and how the rear-end can quickly come around and cause the car to exit the road. Hope he enjoyed the smoke.
Cheers, Yr Lyl Fthfl Srvnt
Vic, You should have written this post!
Want to take on another subject or two?
Living here in the heartland you seldom see Ferraris or Lambos in the wild. As far as I can tell I have seen exactly two Countachs on the street, both were in and around the Stanford University campus and the sightings occurred about 15 minutes apart. This was in 1989 when people were apparently still willing to drive a Countach on the street. I have seen the occasional Ferrari on the highways around here but they were just passing through, as they all had out of the area plates.
I remember seeing a Countach at a self-service gas station just off the 210 Freeway outside of L.A. in the late 1990s. The owner was wearing and orange and black jumpsuit as he fueled his car. (Maybe he was coming back or going to a racetrack?) When he left I remember thinking that the car was unusually loud and I can’t imagine that it would have been very much fun to drive such a loud car in L.A. traffic.
I so much like the early models before all the wheel flairs and spoilers
A final thought, when Paul hosted all us to the CC outing in Nashville last year, we went to a beautiful museum exhibit of the postwar “Italian Car Style”. at the Art Deco Frist Museum. That was a great outing courtesy of Paul and hopefully we will have another like it again in the future. Eh, hint, Paul.
While walking through the exhibits, we saw a 1966 365P Berlinetta Special 3 seater , see the posted images in the article above. The 3 seater images reminded me of a Brockbank cartoon showing the complications of such a configuration.
The next CC Meet Up is already scheduled, for Detroit, the weekend of June 3-4. With an extra day or two optional. Public announcement coming shortly.
The design approaches certainly are interesting, in the big picture the Miura had fairly traditional proportions due to it’s tight transverse layout, the mid engine’s biggest stylistic effect on it was that it allowed for a ridiculously low profile, without the short nose and long rear “cab forward” proportioning of what came later. Same with the Dino to lesser extent, while the cab is way forward from the front engined cars, it’s transverse V6 doesn’t really give that mid-engined look we’re used to today either, and the 246’s proportions look so much more tidy and elegant than what you see on these two concepts otherwise containing the the bulk of the production Dino’s design. What was previewed on these early longitudinal V12 mid-engined Ferrari prototypes are the archetype for modern mid-engined supercars, and the execution of the 365P Berlinetta especially is awkward in the kind of way prototype racers tend to be – hastily styled around the existing engineering – It may have potentially blown the Miura out of the water in terms of performance but it’s styling just isn’t even close to it or the Daytona, I don’t think it was a bad call at all.
The Countach has always been a favorite of mine, and more important of the two because it boldly proclaimed that this was not going to be a car anything like before, from having a massive unoccupyable area behind the doors to having to open the doors themselves open differently. The Ferrari BB still had an elegantness built into it, and at first glance it is the more attractive well sorted design, much more in the vein of the Miura, but like the Miura the design was more exotic than it was ideal, neither it’s raised “boxer” layout or the Lamborghini’s transverse layout were competitive in a real race environment. Not a problem for Lamborghini, as they were always about street exotics, but for Ferrari it was certainly a departure. The Countach looked exactly how it was underneath, wild and almost industrial. For me I actually like the scoops the Countach sprouted to be driveable, even the flares that came later (I draw the line before the lego brick US bumpers and Testarossa rocker stakes by the late 80s), those appendages only add to the sort of retrofitted spacecraft look.
I must be a little younger, because in my day, the guys with the Lambo posters had already moved onto Heather Locklear (and Nagle prints).
Never forgot the photo of his Ferrari inside the cover of the Eric Clapton “Slowhand” album.
These cars are the best.
I saw a Ferrari BB of some sort in the late 80s, in Harrison OH of all places, near a little helipad off Kilby Rd at May Drive. Not the sort of thing you’d expect to see on that side of town…
Two memories, both of mid-engined Ferraris…
Early 80s, riding shotgun in a friend’s ’70 Challenger (Hemi orange, blueprinted 340 4-bbl, pistol grip 4-speed, short axle), and a 512 BB comes into view ahead of us. Chase it down for a couple of miles until both cars stop at a light. We’re drooling over the Ferrari, while the two guys in the Porsche-Design sunglasses in the BB are trying hard to ignore us. Light turns green. My friend nails it in the Challenger, and spanks the Italian…across the intersection anyway. As buddy grabs 4th in the Challenger, the BB screams past us…and we hear it shift…to 2nd.
Years later, doing some work with the owner of a local business, who has a taste for fast cars, and a wallet to support a habit. He takes delivery of his second Ferrari, a used Testarossa. It’s older, and “strictly for winter driving,” he says. Go for a ride, then he lets me take a turn. It’s freezing (about 0 C), and there are icy patches on the road. It’s been a while now, but three particular things are memorable: the clutch was as heavy as a 5 ton truck. And so was the gearshift. And the headrest was pushing my head forward…how can this be SO uncomfortable???…it made no sense…until I let the clutch out and cracked the throttle open. Ah, NOW I get it.
On the heels of this discussion, I saw a robin’s egg blue late model Lamborghini yesterday (I don’t know enough about the new ones to recognize it my model).
Who fits in these things?
Who drives one on the potholed streets near the University of Cincinnati?
Who orders one in that shade of blue?!?