<< Prev Page 3 of 3 To cure the drag problems at Le Mans, Ferrari's engineers had developed a very clean Coupe body around a shortened 206 SP Dino windshield. The second car was rebodied and a third chassis (0872) constructed to replace the car that was wrecked at Monza. As Ferrari had officially entered chassis 0868 and 0870 in the race, the new chassis was stamped 0868 to prevent administrative problems. The Porsche 917 again showed its superior speed during qualifying, but few believed they had a real chance in the race. The first retired in dramatic fashion in the opening lap in a hefty crash, taking the live of driver John Woolfe. Aboard one of the 312 Ps, Amon hit debris from the Porsche and also saw his race end during the first lap. The surviving Ferrari proved to be fast and for a change more frugal than the Porsches. Sadly a silly problem again prevented the Ferrari from reaching the finish. This time it was a retaining nut of the gearbox that had vibrated loose, causing an oil leak. The problem was solved twice, but eventually the gearbox failed altogether. At 5:30 a.m. that Sunday morning the 312 P program, as far as Ferrari was concerned, ended.
The arrival of the Porsche 917 had shifted the balance and Ferrari knew that the 312 P could not be a real competitor once the Germans had cured the big beast's problems. Immediately after Le Mans, Ferrari began the development of a Group 4 racing car. Dubbed the 512 S, it was used by the Works team during the 1970 season. Both 312 Ps that had raced at Le Mans were sold to Ferrari's American agent Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.). The first chassis was repaired, fitted with an empty 612 P engine and handed to Pininfarina, who turned it into the 512 S Concept shown in Turin late in 1969. In the hands of N.A.R.T. the two 312 Ps were not able to fight for overall victories, but they scored several class victories in major races like the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours. They were eventually eclipsed by Ferrari's new flat-12 engined 312 P, more commonly referred to as the 312 PB, which was raced in the Group 4 class with great success from 1971 onwards. In the few months the 312 P was raced by Ferrari, it showed great promise. With a more substantial program, it is not inconceivable that the beautiful Ferrari could have been a race winner. << Prev Page 3 of 3
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> Italy
> Ferrari
Racing cars
> Other Sportscars
To cure the drag problems at Le Mans, Ferrari's engineers had developed a very clean Coupe body around a shortened 206 SP Dino windshield. The second car was rebodied and a third chassis (0872) constructed to replace the car that was wrecked at Monza. As Ferrari had officially entered chassis 0868 and 0870 in the race, the new chassis was stamped 0868 to prevent administrative problems. The Porsche 917 again showed its superior speed during qualifying, but few believed they had a real chance in the race. The first retired in dramatic fashion in the opening lap in a hefty crash, taking the live of driver John Woolfe. Aboard one of the 312 Ps, Amon hit debris from the Porsche and also saw his race end during the first lap. The surviving Ferrari proved to be fast and for a change more frugal than the Porsches. Sadly a silly problem again prevented the Ferrari from reaching the finish. This time it was a retaining nut of the gearbox that had vibrated loose, causing an oil leak. The problem was solved twice, but eventually the gearbox failed altogether. At 5:30 a.m. that Sunday morning the 312 P program, as far as Ferrari was concerned, ended.