Ferrari 512 BB review – Enzo’s answer to the Lamborghini Countach

It’s no secret that Enzo Ferrari didn’t like taking a lead from Ferruccio Lamborghini, but the Miura had stolen Ferrari’s thunder in the '60s and there had to be a response. It was called the Berlinetta Boxer.

A mid-engined senior league supercar certainly wasn’t a leap in the dark for Ferrari. It had its experience with the Dino to draw on and, of course, a wealth of knowledge from F1 and sportscar racing. The 365 GT4 BB launched in 1971, putting this know-how into a road car. Pininfarina design, a 4.4-litre 180-degree V12 and a 176mph top speed put it right at the sharp end of supercars at the time. 

But Ferrari’s rivals weren’t standing still, and Lamborghini pulled another blinder by launching the Countach in 1974. Ferrari’s counter punch wasn’t another all new car, but a development of the Berlinetta Boxer: the 1976 512 BB. Visually it looked very similar to the 365, but the 512 had a major update beneath the skin – its engine, which grew to a 5-litre twelve-cylinder, hence the name. 

It didn’t capture the world’s imagination like the Countach, but the 512 was a deeply desirable and capable supercar. Much more usable than the Lambo with some grand tourer DNA mixed in, which was carried forward into the Testarossa that replaced it. 

Technical specs

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The 512’s mechanical layout was ambitious yet flawed. The 5-litre 180-degree V12 was derived from Formula 1, but while Ferrari’s F1 cars innovated with a transverse gearbox behind the engine, in the BB the five-speed transaxle was mounted under the flat-12, raising it up and thereby losing much of the advantage of its low centre of gravity. Many thought it would make for an unwieldy, top-heavy rear end, which seems a reasonable suspicion, especially when you look at the BB in profile and see that the engine is so close to the taillights it’s almost rear-mounted. The 5-litre unit generates 355bhp at 6800rpm, propelling the 512 to a 188mph top speed. 

The chassis was derived from the 365, using a tubular steel frame. The rear track was wider by 43mm, with suspension by unequal-length wishbones at all four corners, front and rear anti-roll bars and twin damper units at the rear. Disc brakes were used all round with servo assistance, hiding behind 15-inch wheels. 

Performance, ride and handling

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Swing the door open, drop into the well-worn, Daytona-style brown leather seat and it feels wonderfully spacious, the cabin wide and airy, with room for luggage behind the seats and a shelf above. There’s room in the nose too, as long as you’re happy for your luggage to share the space with the spare wheel. The BB is a car for travels then, not just short runs.

Technically speaking, the engine is actually a 180-degree V12 rather than a true boxer-type flat-12, yet it sounds more double flat-six than double straight-six. When you open the taps in the BB it just goes. No hesitation, it smoothly gets its shoulder behind the BB’s relatively substantial mass (1580kg) and sends it up the road with an ease that lets you know there’s plenty more to come. 

The Momo wheel has the thinnest rim I've seen for a long time and the unassisted steering is very heavy at car park speeds but improves once you start rolling, and then you can’t help noticing the remarkable ride quality. There’s an amazing plushness, an almost magic carpet quality to the way the Ferrari goes down difficult roads. This is partly down to the balloon-like Michelins – 215/70 R15 up front, 225/70 R15 astern – on those gorgeous, deep-dish Cromodora alloys, but it’s also how the BB has been set-up. 

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Cornering – and your enthusiasm for it – is tempered by the weight of the steering with the car loaded. You turn in and the car takes a set, then you hang on, before squeezing on the throttle for the exit and gradually unwinding the lock. Mid-corner, on and off the throttle, there’s no sense that the handling is held hostage by the engine’s mass and position, though you’re aware of it, naturally. What tempers your pace most is the braking, but what can you expect when the discs hiding behind those gorgeous alloys are probably smaller than you’d find on a small fast hatch? And less well cooled.  

Oddly, the open gate of the shifter of the BB is to the left of the centre console, on the passenger side, yet despite appearances, the shift is really good. The chromed, bent lever snicks through the tines of the open gate with positive, tactile precision, while the twin-plate clutch has reasonable weighting. The BB has really long gearing too, which the engine has no issue exploiting, feeling good for that 188mph top speed. 

Driver’s note

‘The BB and the Countach are less direct rivals than I’d expected. There’s less overlap between them. The BB is definitely a supercar but it has the character of an easy-going GT, whereas the Countach is a more extreme creature.’ – James Taylor, evo Deputy Editor

Price

512 BB values are on an upward curve. A few years ago well maintained, low mileage examples could be had for around £130k, but closer to £170k is more realistic today. In some respects that makes it a bargain for a flagship twelve-cylinder Ferrari, especially given only 929 were produced in total – less than the number of F40s produced.

Ferrari 512 BB specs

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