The Ferrari 312 P was a Group 6 Prototype-Sports Car 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. Many publications added the letter B after the P of its name to indicate its engine type, but this variation was never officially sanctioned by Ferrari which simply called it the 1971 312P.

History

After boycotting

sports car racing 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 ...

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 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 race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. The event is the second round ...

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 Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

got pole position, and with Chris Amon, 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 host ...

, where Amon and Pedro Rodríguez finished fourth (behind three

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-01). At

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, Chris Amon 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. Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner. He initially made his name in racing ...

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

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, and had to retire in the German

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. At the

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race, the 312 P of Rodriguez and

David Piper David Piper may refer to * Sir David Piper (curator) (1918–1990), British curator and author * David Piper (racing driver) David Piper (born 2 December 1930) is a British former Formula One and sports car racing driver from England. He parti ...

was second behind the Siffert/Redman 908-01LH. Two 312 Ps were entered in the

1969 24 Hours of Le Mans This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, 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

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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

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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 to ...

. 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 ...

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, since the European branch of Ferrari racing would rely on the Ferrari 512 in 1970. The 312 Ps returned to Europe for the

1970 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 38th Grand Prix of Endurance and took place on 13 and 14 June 1970. It was the 8th stage of the 1970 World Sportscar Championship season. Once again Porsche had a dominant year in the championship and arrived ...

, 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 312P Sports prototypes {{Scuderia Ferrari