The Ferrari 312 P was a

Group 6 Prototype-Sports Car Group 6 was the official designation applied by the FIA to two motor racing classifications, the Prototype-Sports Car category from 1966 to 1971 and the Two-Seater Racing Cars class from 1976 to 1982. Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars (1966 to 1971) ...

used for racing in 1969 and 1970. The new 1971 version of the sports prototype came with a flat-12 engine, often referred to as a boxer engine.

History

After boycotting

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing that uses sports cars with two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be either purpose-built Sports prototype, sports prototypes, which are the highest level in sports car racing; or grand to ...

in 1968 to protest a rule change that also banned their 4-litre 330 P4, Ferrari built a 3000cc prototype in 1969, the ''312 P''. It was hardly more than a 3-litre F1

Ferrari 312 The Ferrari 312 F1 was the designation of the 3 litre V-12 (hence 312) Formula One cars raced by the Italian team from 1966 to 1969. Overview Naming Designed under the leadership of Mauro Forghieri, there were two distinct variations using ...

with open ''Barchetta'', and later the closed top ''Berlinetta''.

Car in Racing

The first registered race was at the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

in 1969. Ferrari (short on money) started only one 312 P (chassis no. 0868).

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an American former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and American open-wheel racing, IndyCar from 1964 USAC Championship Car season, 1964 to 1994 IndyCar se ...

got pole position, and with

Chris Amon Christopher Arthur Amon (; 20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win a Formula One Grands Prix, ...

, he managed to finish second. This raised hopes for a prospective Ferrari victory. At the ensuing test weekend at Le Mans, a different car, chassis no. 0870, disappointed, and it was clear that better aerodynamics (with a closed coupe) were necessary. The 0870 also raced at the BOAC 500 in

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...

, where Amon and Pedro Rodríguez finished fourth (behind three

Porsche 908 The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906- Porsche 910- Porsche 907 series of models designed by Helmuth Bott (chassis) and Hans Mezger (engine) under the leadership of racing chief Ferdinand P ...

-01). At

1000km Monza The 6 Hours of Monza (formerly the 1,000 Kilometres of Monza and known after 1966 as the Trofeo Filippo Caracciolo) is an endurance race, mainly for sports cars, which is held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy. Overview ...

took the pole with the 312 P spider, ahead of

Jo Siffert Joseph Siffert (; 7 July 1936 – 24 October 1971) was a Swiss racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Siffert won two Formula One Grands Prix across 10 seasons. Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert ...

's 908-01, but had to retire. The 312 P was not entered in the second Italian race, the

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...

, and had to retire in the German

1000 km Nürburgring 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. At the

1000 km Spa The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (formerly the 1000 Kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps) is an endurance race for sports cars held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. History The Spa 24 Hours had been introduced in 1924, and other races ...

race, the 312 P of Rodriguez and David Piper was second behind the Siffert/Redman 908-01LH. Two 312 Ps were entered in the

1969 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans was a motor race staged at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France on 14 and 15 June 1969. It was the 37th Grand Prix of Endurance and was the eighth round of the 1969 International Championship for Makes. The race ...

, now as low-drag Berlinettas. They were fifth and sixth on the grid, but didn't finish. During the 1969 season, the appearance of the

Porsche 917 The Porsche 917 is a sports prototype race car developed by German manufacturer Porsche to exploit the regulations regarding the construction of 5-litre sports cars. Powered by a Type 912 flat-12 engine which was progressively enlarged from 4. ...

had made clear that only a similar new 5-litre car would be able to challenge it. Since mid-1969, Ferrari spent some of the millions earned in the

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

deal for the construction of the required series of 25 new 5-litre V12

Group 5 sports cars Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations defined a Special Touring Car category and from 1970 to 1971 the classification was applied t ...

. At the end of the season the two remaining 312 Ps were sold to

Luigi Chinetti Luigi Chinetti (July 17, 1901 – August 17, 1994) was an Italian-born racecar driver, who emigrated to the United States during World War II. He drove in 12 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans races, taking three outright wins there and taking two ...

North American Racing Team The North American Racing Team (NART) is a motorsport racing team founded in 1958. It was created by businessman Luigi Chinetti to promote the Ferrari marque in North America through success in endurance racing. It was created in 1958 when Ch ...

, since the European branch of Ferrari racing would rely on the

Ferrari 512 Ferrari 512 S was a sports prototype car produced by Italian manufacturer Ferrari from 1969 to 1970. As it name suggests, the car had a 5.0L V12 engine. A total 25 units were built. The car entered in the 1970 International Championship for ...

in 1970. The 312 Ps returned to Europe for the

1970 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was a motor race staged on 13 and 14 June 1970 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France. It was the eighth race of the 1970 International Championship for Makes and was the 38th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The r ...

, where one of them was raced (as opposed to eleven 512s). The car was among the 16 cars still running at the end.

Specifications

: Top speed: 320 km/h(198.8mph) ; Engine : Type: rear, longitudinal V12 60° : Bore/stroke: 78.5 x 51.5 mm : Unitary displacement: 249.25 cc : Total displacement: 2991.01 cc : Compression ratio: 11,5:1 : Maximum power: 331 kW (450 hp) at 10.800 RPM : Power per litre: 150 hp/l : Valve actuation: Twin overhead camshaft per bank, four valves per cylinder : Fuel feed: Lucas indirect injection // Ignition = Single spark plug per cylinder, electronic : Lubrication: Dry sump : Clutch: Multi-plate ; Chassis : Frame: tubular steel : Front and rear suspension: Independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar : Brakes: Discs : Transmission: 5-speed + reverse : Steering: Rack-and-pinion : Fuel tank: Capacity 117 litres : Front tyres: 9-22-13 : Rear tyres: 13-26-15 ; Bodywork : Type: Two-seater spider : Length: 3500 mm : Width: 1880 mm : Height: 956 mm : Wheelbase: 2220 mm : Front track: 1425 mm : Rear track: 1400 mm : Weight: 585 kg (with liquids)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * *

External links

312 P (1969)
on Ferrari's website {{Scuderia Ferrari 312P Sports prototypes