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Pininfarina designed, 1969 Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale. And admirer. (Rainer Schlegelmilch)

‘A rather permissive rear end reveals part of the five speed transmission on the Pininfarina Ferrari 512S. There is the almost customary louvered backward look but its Wellsian. The chassis was a tubular structure with riveted light alloy panels contributing to the rigidity.

The naughty nakedness around the car’s nether regions and the upswept slotted effect adjacent to the rear wheels assists with the expulsion of hot air that can be generated by such a projectile-from brakes, tyres, transmission exhaust system etc. Forward visibility from the two seats was remarkably good-useful with such performance’.

So said Automobile Year 17’s summary of the rear of the Pininfarina designed Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale in 1969. Amazing how appropriate a caption it is for this shot taken 45 years later!

512S Berlinetta Speciale. (Rainer Schlegelmilch)

The original appeal in writing this article was the juxtaposition of  ‘les derrieres incroyables!’ of car and model, but upon closer inspection the fusion of a racer, which had a ‘big hit’ at Monza in 1969 and then contributed its chassis as the basis for Pininfarina’s Ferrari ‘512S’ Speciale show car is an interesting one in itself.

This article is a story about the two Ferrari ‘512S’ based Pininfarina designed Show Cars; the ‘Berlinetta Speciale’ of 1969, actually based on the chassis of a 312P, and ‘Modulo’ of 1970, actually based on a 512S chassis which raced as a 612P. Simple really!

I wrote about the Ferrari 312P a while back, here is the link to that article, i won’t go through the background of these cars again, but its all here; https://primotipo.com/2014/09/21/enzo-ferrari-framed-by-his-312p-ferrari-312p-1969/

512S Berlinetta Speciale. (Rainer Schlegelmilch)

Life as 312P ‘0868’ Was Short and Not So Sweet…

The chassis of the ‘512S Speciale’ was the first of the 1969 312P endurance racers completed. It was the car launched to the press at the Hotel Fini, Modena on December 14 1968. In early 1969 it was damaged testing at Vallelunga and therefore didn’t make the season opening championship round at Daytona, but was rebuilt in tine for the Sebring 12 Hour in March.

Chris Amon and Mario Andretti drove the car, the curvaceous 3 litre V12 winning its class and finishing 2nd overall to the venerable 5 litre Ford GT40 of the ‘Jacks’ Ickx and Oliver.

Chris Amon in Ferrari 312P ‘0868’ he shared with Mario Andretti at Sebring in 1970. (Dave Kutz)

 

Pedro on his way to 4th place in 312P ‘0868’ or ‘0870’…Brands 500 Km 1969. (unattributed)

Amon was paired with Pedro Rodriguez at Brands Hatch, the pair finished 4th in the 500Km race won by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman in a Porsche 908/2. Note that some sources say the Chris/Pedro car was ‘0870’ not ‘0868’ which they say did not arrive. Whatever.

Rodriguez in 312P ‘0868’ boxing in winner Jo Siffert’s Porsche 908 behind the Hanrioud/Martin Ford GT40.(15th) Monza 1000Km 1969. (unattributed)

A fortnight later, on 25 April the car was entered at Monza for the 1000Km home event, Pedro back behind the wheel this time paired with Peter Schetty, later a successful Ferrari Team Manager.

During the race a left rear Firestone blew, damaging the rear bodywork, Pedro nursed the car back to the pits on lap 66. The crew quickly got him going but had not properly affixed the rear bodywork which blew off the car at high speed causing a huge accident of the type which took Bruce McLaren’s life 12 months later at Goodwood, fortunately without injury to Pedro but comprehensively ‘rooting’ the car.

It was taken back to the factory and put to one side whilst the other two 312P chassis were used for the racing at hand.

Pedro Rodriguez alights the Ferrari 312P ‘0868’ he shared with Peter Schetty at Monza in 1969. This was after the first ‘light hit’ when a tyre blew. When he got back into the car, on its first ‘out lap’ the separation of rear bodywork from the car caused the accident which all but destroyed it, Pedro shaken but ok. (unattributed)

Later in 1969 the chassis and an engine block (as against a complete engine) from 612P CanAm car #0866 was given to Pininfarina as the basis for their ‘Berlinetta Speciale’ styling exercise, the chassis at that point stamped ‘002’ noting the chassis was a 312P not a 512S despite the name…

Chris Amon in Ferrari 512S ‘1012’ shared with Arturo Merzario in the very wet Brands Hatch 1000Km in 1970. They were 5th in the race famously won by Rodriguez’ stunning wet weather drive in a Porsche 917K. (unattributed)

So, why call the Berlinetta Speciale a 512S if  twasn’t?

Whilst Enzo’s coffers were full of Fiat lire given the Italian corporates 1969 Ferrari investment, the Scuderia had the not insignificant problem of flogging the 25 512S’ required to be built for homologation into the FIA’s Group 5 to race in 1970.

And no amount of  Ferrari homologation ‘jiggery-pokery’ with promises of cars to be built would satisfy the CSI given the hoops Porsche had to jump to achieve certification of production numbers of their 4.5 litre 917 ‘Panzer-Wagen’ which created the need for all those 512S to be built in the first place… Given the working capital involved in designing, building and carrying the holding costs of unsold cars on his Balance Sheet be in no doubt about just what a priority Le Mans was to Ferrari for all those years.

He would not readily hand victory to the Germans without a fight. So, i suspect the 512S nomenclature was a marketing exercise to do everything possible to promote the car he needed to sell rather than one he was about to drop as works entry at seasons end. (putting the 312PB of 1971 and beyond to one side, that car is still a regulation change away, in 1969 the main game was 5 litres not 3)

‘In period’ studio shot of the 512S Berlinetta Speciale. (Pininfarina)

Ferrari’s Design Evolution…

Filippo Sapino longest creative stint was 30 years as design director at Ghia but his most stunning project was the ‘Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale’, completed whilst at Pininfarina for a short while in the late 1960s. Launched at the 1969 Turin Motor Show, the car caused enormous interest as it was the first Ferrari with ‘wedge styling’, a design trend of the late sixties.

The truly stunning Pininfarina Ferrari Modulo. As stunning now as when first launched at Geneva in 1970. This shot was in Automobile Year 18.

Even though the Modulo was originally designed by Paolo Martin in 1968 the Berlinetta Speciale was the first built and therefore could or should be said to be the more influential in showing the path and creating the inspiration for Ferrari angular/wedge road cars such as the 365GTC/4 (also designed by Sapino), 365 Berlinetta Boxer and 308-328 series of Dino’s

Ferrari publicity shot of Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni checking out the ‘wedgey’ Pininfarina designed, Dino 308 at Fiorano in 1976. They are during a lull testing the 312T2 F1 car which is clear to see. (unattributed)

In fact the choice of Sapino’s design as Pininfarinas 1969 Show Star rather than Paolo Martin’s is an interesting bit of Pininfarina politics, which worked out rather well for PF, Ferrari and i suspect both designers.

Etcetera…

512S Speciale engine compartment filled with the 6 litre V12 ex 612P ‘0866’. Its a dummy engine, original block but no internals, the car is not and has never been ‘ a runner’. Looks the goods all the same. (Rainer Schlegelmilch)

Berlinetta Speciale, great from any angle. (Pininfarina)

Bibliography and Credits…