Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer: Тарихы мен жарыс жолы

The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer (BB) is series of sports cars produced by Ferrari in Italy between 1973 and 1984. The BB was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina. The first BB model, the 365 GT4 BB, replaced the front engined Daytona and was the first in a series of road going Ferraris equipped with a mid mounted flat twelve engine. It was also the first mid engined road car to bear the Ferrari name and the Cavallino Rampante (prancing horse) logo. The 365 GT4 BB was succeeded in 1976 by the BB 512, equipped with a larger displacement engine, then by the fuel injected BB 512i in 1981. The series was discontinued in 1984 when the BB 512i was replaced by the Testarossa, which used a revised version of the flat twelve engine.

The 365 GT4 BB was never officially raced by Scuderia Ferrari, however Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) raced modified street cars with some factory support. In 1974, NART obtained two 365 GT4 BBs for use in sports car racing. These cars, chassis 18139 and 18095, began as standard road cars and were modified for competition use. Chassis 18095 was also modified by NART, but not as radically as 18139. Wider wheels were used, measuring 8 in wide front and 11 in wide rear. The wheel arches were flared, a small rear spoiler and racing fuel filler were installed and the interior adapted with safety equipment including a roll bar, harness and fire extinguisher. The engine was standard except for a spacer to increase oil capacity and a new exhaust system. This car was entered in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans, but did not compete as NART withdrew from the race in protest over how the race organizers chose to classify their 308 GT4.

In 1978, Ferrari began producing a purpose built competition version of the BB 512, termed the 512 BB LM (also styled 512 BB/LM or 512 BBLM). They were produced in two series, with the first series constructed in 1978 and the second series constructed between late 1978 and 1982. Ferrari constructed three examples of the series one 512 BB LM in 1978. These had wider wheel arches, a roof mounted aerofoil, and a rear wing adapted from the front wing of a Ferrari 312T2. Two of these cars were fitted with "long nose" bodywork, which extended the front of the car by several inches and replaced the standard full width grill with a small oval air inlet. Power from the flat 12 was increased to approximately 400 440 bhp, while the cars' weight was decreased to approximately 1,200 kg (2,646 lb). The three factory S1 BB LMs competed in the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, with two cars entered by Ferrari importer Charles Pozzi and one car entered by NART. Jacques Swaters' Ecurie Francorchamps entered one additional 512 BB, which was converted to competition specification by the team. This car differed from the factory BB LM cars, weighing approximately 100 kg (220 lb) more. None of these cars finished the race due to mechanical issues. The S2 design was further improved in 1980, including vertical side skirts to take advantage of ground effect, a larger air inlet duct in front of the rear wheels and a lighter chassis with fiberglass body panels, reducing weight by 100 kg (220 lb). Some sources refer to these as series 3 cars. Sixteen updated S2 BB LMs were built from 1980 to 1982, bringing the total number of S2 512 BB LMs manufactured to 25. The 512 BB LM was never raced by Scuderia Ferrari, but was instead campaigned by several independent teams with varying levels of factory support. Teams that used the BB LM in competition include NART, Pozzi, Ecurie Francorchamps, Bellancauto and others. The BB LM was campaigned in World Endurance Championship and IMSA races as well as smaller local events from its introduction in 1978 through 1985. Both S1 and S2 BB LMs had reliability issues that limited their competition success. This was exacerbated by the lack of a factory racing effort, as the BB LM was only raced by private teams with limited budgets and inconsistent factory support. Among the BB LM's best finishes was a fifth overall and first in the GTX class at the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, 6th overall at the 1982 24 hours of Le Mans and 10th overall at the 1980 24 hours of Le Mans. Since their retirement from top level competition, BB LMs have competed at various vintage racing events worldwide. An alternative origin story was put forward by Leonardo Fioravanti: He claimed that the "BB" designation was derived from a nickname given to the car by designer Fioravanti, Angelo Bellei and Sergio Scaglietti. During development of the 365 GT4 BB, they began to refer to the car as "Brigitte Bardot", as they perceived the prototype to be exceptionally beautiful like the French actress. This nickname was shortened to "BB" and quickly adopted by other Ferrari factory workers. "Berlinetta Boxer" was later invented by Ferrari officials prior to the model's introduction at the 1971 Turin Auto Show, as it was deemed unseemly to name a Ferrari after the actress.