Not wishing to stretch relationships any further than necessary my next offering I'm sure will be met with much approval. I hope so anyway!
FERRARI 312P Coupe – 1969/70
Three litre V12, P for prototype. It is basically a Formula 1 with sportscar bodywork. It is unassumingly a piece of captivating motorsport art, complete with its own full-blown orchestra. Just feast your eyes and tune your ears into this 4-minute vid. Le Mans classic 2022.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qMagSHBkvI1969 and still in shorts, I was just beginning to notice sportscar racing but not enough to fully appreciate these magnificent beasts. Sportscar racing was not on the telly much in those days, so I just resorted to a dinky or corgi (if I was lucky). At the age of 9 my petrolhead gens were stirring but had not developed sufficiently to maturity and therefore missed out on witnessing the 312P in the flesh.
Call me a late developer, but in my early twenties I went to my first sportscar race; Le Mans. From then on, I did look back, to the extent the late 60’s and early 70’s are for me the golden age of prototype sportcars in terms of art and noise admiration.
When Tecnomodels therefore announced these 312P coupe models I could not resist the temptation to pre-order. I was not disappointed on their arrival. They are without doubt an upgrade on the old Best models.
The 312P in racing years was very short lived, only 2 years of first-rate competition and only 1 year as a works effort; 1969 then 1970 under N.A.R.T. The car did carry on into the early 70’s but with a “boxer” flat 12 engine as opposed to the V12 used previously. The distinction between the two was 312/71 for cars with the flat 12. Outside of Ferrari and in the media, they were known as 312PB’s.
Narrowing my interest down to just Le Mans only two Ferrari works 312P’s were entered in 1969, #18 and #19. Narrowing that down even further, #19 did not even last one lap!
With Chris Amon driving #19 and less than 4 minutes in, he was engulfed from a disintegrated fuel tank going through the Esses at Maison Blanche. 80 meter in front of him John Woolfe lost control of his #10 Porsche 917, with no where to go due to the tight section of the circuit at this point, the Ferrari caught fire instantly on hitting the Porsche fire ball.
The following is an extract from Chris Amon’s biography. "I almost overtook him at the end of the Hunaudières, but we only had a 3-litre compared to the Porsche's 4.5-litre. I was quite worried following him and he lost the car at Maison Blanche and hit the embankment. I lifted my foot, the Porsche literally exploded: a ball of fire and pieces everywhere. The gas tank crossed the road and crashed under the front of my car, setting it on fire, and I was still going really fast. It took a long time to lose speed and I couldn't see what I was doing. I unbuckled my harness, but as soon as I opened the door, flames entered the cabin. I waited what felt like an eternity for the Ferrari to slow down, but when I jumped it was still going quite fast”.
#18 lasted slightly longer in the race but unfortunately scummed to a gearbox issue when running in 8th position. One of the two nuts retaining the gearbox cover plate had worked loose and fallen out causing the plate to fracture and leak oil. The plate was change, only for the problem to recur. There was no spare, so a mechanic was sent out to retrieve the necessary part from the Amon wreck. Fitted, Rodriguez and Piper continued. However, the rules stipulated oil could be replenished every 25 laps and no more. The longer the race went on the more oil was required. Eventually by the 15th hour the gear mechanicals had been starved of oil for too long and gave up.
Internal politics and general interest in Ferraris 312P sports car was, fast diminishing in favour of the Formula 1, 312. Resource and cash were extremely thin on the ground, add the Italian industrial disputes at this time, the 312P’s were sold to N.A.R.T (North American Racing Team) before the end of the 1969 season, not long after Le Mans.
Always on the look out for a potential diorama I came across this photograph in one of my Ferrari books. #18 & #19 312P’s under preparation for the 24 hours.
I’ve added the photograph below as a clear reference as to how low the 312P was, plus its an opportunity to savour the flowing lines of this captivating piece of automotive art.
Under the ownership of N.A.R.T both 312’s returned to Le Mans in 1970, however only one car started the race and just about finished. A noticeable addition was the hump fitted onto of the roof. This was installed for Mike Parkes who at six feet 4 inches tall, when driving the car, needed that bit of extra head room!
You can tell this is an in-period photograph, spot the trousers on the right!
The weather in June 1970 at Le Mans was extremely wet, which had a detrimental effect on all 57 entries to the degree only 7 actually finished. Even as a coupe, water got into the cockpit via the door seals and played havoc with the electrics. Too many visits to the pits slowed progress to the point #57 finished but had not covered sufficient distance so was recorded as N/C (not classified) within the results in 10th place.
I certainly didn’t buy these models for their outstanding historical results during their competitive years, which under normal circumstances I do. No, this time, pounds and pennies were exchanged for beauty, style, and graceful curves. I doubt we will ever see the likes of which again.
Feast your eyes on these…………………