The Ferrari 212 F1 was a Formula 1 and

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name re ...

racing car designed by Aurelio Lampredi for Scuderia Ferrari in .

Racing history

Two 212 F1 chassis were built. One with a De Dion rear axle (chassis 102) and one car with a swing axle (chassis 110). The car was powered by a

V12 V12 or V-12 may refer to: Aircraft * Mil V-12, a Soviet heavy lift helicopter * Pilatus OV-12, a planned American military utility aircraft * Rockwell XFV-12, an American experimental aircraft project * Škoda-Kauba V12, a Czechoslovak experim ...

engine, bore/stroke: × . The Ferrari 212 F1 (chassis 102) made its debut at the 1951 Syracuse Grand Prix where it was driven by

Dorino Serafini Teodoro "Dorino" Serafini (22 July 1909 – 5 July 2000) was a motorcycle road racer and racing driver from Italy. A native of Pesaro (Marche), he won the 1939 500cc European Championship on a Gilera. He participated in one Formula One World C ...

. Serafini finished second behind Ferrari teammate

Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi (16 May 1909 – 24 August 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception. Biography Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older ...

. Two weeks later Serafini was back behind the wheel of the car at Pau. He qualified the car in third place but retired from the race after 49 laps due to steering problems. These are the only two races in which chassis 102 was entered. Ferrari sold chassis 110 to Swiss driver

Rudi Fischer Rudi, born Albert Rudolph (January 24, 1928 – February 21, 1973), also known as Swami Rudrananda, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Rudi was a spiritual teacher and an antiquities entrepreneur in New York City.Swami Rudrananda udi ''Spir ...

, the leader of

Ecurie Espadon Ecurie may refer to: * Écurie, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in France * Several car racing teams (compare '' scuderias'') : ** Ecurie Belge ** Ecurie Bleue ** Ecurie Bonnier ** Ecurie Ecosse, a former motor racing team from Scot ...

. Fischer debuted the car at the non-championship Syracuse Grand Prix. He finished third behind Serafini in the other 212 F1. Fischer finished third at the

San Remo Grand Prix The Gran Premio Automobilistico di San Remo, commonly known as the San Remo Grand Prix, was a Grand Prix / Formula One and motorcycle race held in the north-western coastal town of San Remo (Italy) from 1937 to 1972. The first Grand Prix was he ...

and second at the Bordeaux Grand Prix. Fischer made his and the cars' World Championship debut at the

1951 Swiss Grand Prix The 1951 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 May 1951 in Bern. The race was contested over 42 laps of the Bremgarten Circuit with it also being the opening race of the 1951 World Championship of Drivers. The race was the el ...

. After starting tenth he finished the race in eleventh position. Fischer finished sixth at the

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

, just one position shy of World Championship points. The car was also entered at the

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...

but Fischer did not start the race after a crash in practice. Fischer also entered the car in

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009– 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name ...

races using a Ferrari 166 1995cc V12 engine. He won the Formula Two races at

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.

and Angoulême in 1951. After 1951 the car only appeared as a Formula 2 car as the

Formula One World Championship 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, ...

adopted Formula Two regulations for the

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and

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...

seasons. For the 1952 season Rudi Fischer bought a

Ferrari 500 The Ferrari 500 was a Formula 2 racing car designed by Aurelio Lampredi and used by Ferrari in and , when the World Championship was run to F2 regulations. Racing history For 1952, the FIA announced that Grand Prix races counting towards the Wo ...

which he used at all the races he entered. The 212 F1 was now used as a secondary entry. Peter Hirt drove the car at the

Swiss Grand Prix The Swiss Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Suisse, german: Großer Preis der Schweiz, it, Gran Premio di Svizzera), was the premier auto race of Switzerland. In its later years it was a Formula One race. History Bremgarten (1934–1939, 1947 ...

. Fischer shared the 212 F1 with Hirt at the

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...

. Fischer was initially due to drive his Ferrari 500, but engine problems in practice meant that he instead participated in the 212 F1. Hirt made his last appearance in the car at the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...

, where he retired from the race. Rudolf Schoeller drove the car at the Nürburgring but also retired from the race. Hans Stuck was entered at the

but he failed to qualify for the race as only 24 cars were allowed to start the race. The 212 F1 made its final appearance at the

1953 Swiss Grand Prix The 1953 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 23 August 1953 at Bremgarten Circuit. It was race 8 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulatio ...

. Max de Terra drove the car and finished the race in eighth position, 14 laps behind race winner

Alberto Ascari Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles ...

Technical specifications

Engine

*Name: Ferrari Tipo 212 F1 *Layout: Ferrari 12-cylinder V *Displacement : *Bore/stroke: × *Compression: 12.0:1 *Valvetrain: 2 valves / cylinder, SOHC *Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated *valve actuation: single overhead camshaft per bank, two valves per cylinder *fuel feed: 3 Weber 32 DCF carburettors *Power: 200 hp at 7500 rpm *BHP/Liter: 78 bhp / liter

Drivetrain

*Chassis : elliptical-section steel tube chassis *Front suspension: double wishbones, lower transverse leaf spring *Rear suspension: DeDion axle, lower longitudinal leaf springs *Brakes: drums, all-round Gearbox 5 speed Manual *Drive: Rear wheel drive

Frame

*tubular steel *Wheelbase: *Front track: *Rear track: *Weight: *Tank:

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

References

External links

Ferrari 212 F1: Ferrari History
{{F1 cars 1953 212 F1