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  Ferrari 312 T5      

  Article Image gallery (30) Chassis (2) Specifications  
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Country of origin:Italy
Produced in:1980
Numbers built:6
Predecessor:Ferrari 312 T4
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:January 31, 2006
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Click here to download printer friendly versionA change to Michelin's new radial tires required the construction of a completely revised chassis for 1978, but because the complete drivetrain was retained it was named 312 T3. At a time where Ferrari focused on matching their chassis to the new tires, Lotus turned the sport upside down with their ground effects cars. Although the T3 could not match the pace of the Lotus 78, its rock solid reliability record often put their drivers Carlos Reutemann and Gilles Villeneuve in contention for a victory.

For 1979 Ferrari with help from Fiat and Pininfarina hastily adapted the successful 312 T chassis for ground effects use, even though the relatively wide flat 12 engine did not allow for Venturis as big as the competition's. The sport was now revolutionized at a very rapid pace with Renault entering Formula 1 with their Turbocharged V6 engines. Gilles Villeneuve was joined this year by Jody Scheckter to prolongue the success of Forghieri's engine for more season.

Although not as fast on the straights as the Renaults or as fast through the corners as the purpose built ground effects racers, the rock solid reliability and grunt of the 312 T4 brought Ferrari yet another driver's and constructor's world championship. Scheckter beat Villeneuve by four points, but the latter stole the show that season; particularly at Dijon where he fought off Rene Arnoux in his Renault in some of the most epic and closely contested laps in the sport's history.

Minor modifications were carried through in 1980 to create the 312 T5 in anticipation of Ferrari's first Turbocharged Formula 1 racer. The rapid progress proved too much for the aging chassis to cope with and after the highly successful years the season was a huge dissapointment. Only a handful of points were scored and the team slipped to eight in the constructor's championship. A few years later there was a brief spell of success, but it was not until the 21st century that Ferrari returned to their dominant form.

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  Article Image gallery (30) Chassis (2) Specifications