The Ferrari 212 E Montagna was a
one-off
In the field of vehicles authorized to drive, a one-off vehicle is a vehicle that was manufactured only once. The production of unique vehicles is reduced to one unit in each case.
The easiest cases to analyze are those of cars and motorcycles. Un ...
spyder
The SPYDER ("Surface-to-air Python and Derby") is an Israeli short and medium range mobile air defence system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Rafael is the prime contractor an ...
sports racing car
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is o ...
produced by
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
in 1968. The car was built on a
Dino 206 S
The Dino 206 S is a sports prototype produced by Ferrari in 1966–1967 under the Dino marque. Ferrari intended to produce at least fifty examples for homologation by the CSI in the Sport 2.0 L Group 4 category. As only 18 were made, the car ha ...
chassis and used a unique 2-litre, 48-valve,
flat-12
A flat-twelve engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-twelve, is a twelve-cylinder piston engine with six cylinders on each side of a central crankshaft.
Flat-twelve engines are less common than V12 engines, but they have been used in vario ...
engine, a development of the
1512
Year 1512 ( MDXII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* Mid-January – Following the death of Svante Nilsson, Eric Trolle is elected the new ...
1.5-litre
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
engine. Driven by
Peter Schetty, the car dominated the 1969
European Hill Climb Championship
The FIA European Hill Climb Championship (FIA EHC) is an FIA-run motorsport competition held across Europe on closed public road courses.
Unlike circuit racing, each driver competes alone, starting from a point at the base of a mountain and reac ...
, placing first in every race it entered and setting many course records.
[
]
Development history
In 1964, Ferrari developed the ''Tipo'' 207 1.5- litre flat-twelve engine for its 1512 F1 car. This basic design by Mauro Forghieri
Mauro Forghieri (13 January 1935 – 2 November 2022) was an Italian mechanical engineer, best known for his work as a Formula One racing car designer with Scuderia Ferrari during the 1960s and 1970s. He is credited with introducing the first de ...
was modified by Stefano Jacoponi to create the Tipo 232 2-litre engine used in the 212 E. Overall capacity of this engine was 1990.08cc, bore and stroke was 65mm X 50mm and the compression ratio was 11:1. Initially, the engine produced approximately 280-290 bhp at 11,500 rpm. Two units of the Tipo 232 motor were produced, with the first scrapped following initial development and dyno testing. The second Tipo 232 engine was installed in the 1967 Sport 2000, a testbed car based on a 206 S Dino chassis (number 020). This car was tested in late 1967 by Chris Amon
Christopher Arthur Amon (20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand ...
at Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
and announced as a contender in the 1968 European Hill Climb Championship, but did not compete that season. Instead, this chassis was subsequently used (with a different Ferrari V12 drivetrain) in the Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...
250 P5 show car, displayed at the Geneva, Los Angeles and Turin auto show
An auto show, also known as a motor show or car show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is attended by automotive industry representatives, dealers, auto journalists a ...
s in 1968.
Dino chassis 020 and the Tipo 232 motor were reunited in late 1968, when Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in refere ...
decided to develop the Sport 2000 into the 212 E, under the supervision of Forghieri. The car was not considered reliable enough to compete in endurance events and was instead optimized to race the short, winding courses of the European Hill Climb Championship. Peter Schetty was chosen to test and race the 212 E. Schetty was an experienced hill climb
Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...
racer and test driver who would later become Scuderia Ferrari team manager. Following testing at Modena and Vallelunga
Vallelunga (Italian for ''long valley'') is a valley, or plateau,Tonino Floris, Marco Spada, ''Pedalando nel Lazio''p. 97 Edizioni Mediterranee, 1996 . near Campagnano di Roma, Italy.
See also
* Vallelunga Circuit
The Autodromo Vallelunga P ...
, the 212 E was modified from its Sport 2000 specification. Headlights were removed, fuel capacity was reduced and the car's plastic body was modified to optimize aerodynamics and weight for hillclimbs. Engine output and cooling systems were also improved. Power output at the start of the 1969 racing season varied from 300 to 320 bhp depending on tune.[ The 212 E was also equipped with inboard rear disc brakes, in order to reduce ]unsprung mass
The unsprung mass (colloquially unsprung weight) of a vehicle is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks (as applicable), and other components directly connected to them. This contrasts with the sprung mass (or weight) supported by the ...
. Overall weight was 500 kg. As the 212 E, the car was given serial number 0862.
The numerical designation "212" refers to the 2-liter 12-cylinder engine, with the "E Montagna" designating its role as a racer in the "Europeo Montagna" Championship. The name is similar, but not a direct reference, to that of the 1950s Ferrari 212 Export
:''See also the 212 Inter grand tourer''
The Ferrari 212 Export was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1951–1952. The 212 Exports won Tour de France automobile, Giro di Sicilia, Coppa della Toscana, 10 Hours of Messina and other motor ...
.
Racing history
Scuderia Ferrari entered the 212 E in the 1969 European Hillclimb Championship
The FIA European Hill Climb Championship (FIA EHC) is an FIA-run motorsport competition held across Europe on closed public road courses.
Unlike circuit racing, each driver competes alone, starting from a point at the base of a mountain and reac ...
with Peter Schetty driving, supported by Ferrari engineer Gianni Marelli and two mechanics. Racing in the sport class, the car dominated the competition, winning every race in which it was entered.[ Minor modifications of gearing, aerodynamics and suspension setup were made during the season to adapt the car for each course.] After seven victories, including six absolute course records, the team withdrew from the final race of the season as they had already clinched the championship. The 212 E's dominance in 1969 was ensured by the lack of any viable rival, with the nearest competition the Abarth
Abarth & C. S.p.A. () is an Italian racing and road car maker and performance division founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is owned by Stellantis through its Italian subsidiary. Its logo is a shield with a styliz ...
2000 driven by Arturo Merzario
Arturo Francesco "Art" Merzario (born 11 March 1943 in Civenna, Como) (erroneously registered as Arturio on his birth certificate) is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at the ...
with 50 fewer horsepower. However, the car's overall speed was undeniable, evidenced by the course record Schetty set at Côte de Cesana-Sestrière, which remained unbroken for 13 years.
The car did not compete in 1970, although there was tremendous interest during this time from various drivers who wished to purchase the car from the factory. Ferrari eventually sold the car in late 1970 to Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi, who commissioned the factory to fit a new body designed by Piero Lardi Ferrari
Piero Lardi Ferrari (born 22 May 1945Rancati, p. 107) is an Italian billionaire businessman and sport personality. He is the second and only living son of Enzo Ferrari, and a 10.23% owner of the Ferrari automotive company, of which he is the vic ...
. The original 212 E bodywork was subsequently fitted to a Dino 206 S, with which it still remains. Lualdi-Gabardi successfully raced the 212 E in hill climbs during the 1971 season.
Significance
The 212 E Montagna is historically significant due to its competition success and unique engine, as well as the chassis' use in the Pininfarina 250 P5 show car. Forghieri considered the 212 E and its Tipo 232 engine as a test platform and important developmental step towards the 1970s 312B F1 cars and 312PB sports racers, which used a newly designed ''Tipo'' 001 3.0-litre flat-12 engine.
The 212 E Montagna sold to a private buyer at RM's 2006 Scottsdale auction for $1,650,000.
References
{{Scuderia Ferrari
212 E Montagna
Sports prototypes
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Mid-engined cars