Ferrari 312P

From Ferrari-Wiki

This article is about the sportcar raced in 1969. For the later 1971 car of the same name see Ferrari 312PB.

The Ferrari 312PB was a Ferrari sportcar prototype racing car launched in 1969. It was part of the Ferrari P series of sports prototypes.

After boycotting sports car racing in 1968 to protest the rule change that also banned their 4 litre Ferrari Prototypes, Ferrari built another 3000cc prototype in 1969, named the 312 P.

The 3.0 V12 Ferrari 312P Barchetta and Berlinetta were hardly more than a 3-litre F1 Ferrari 312 with open or closed top prototype bodies. At the 12 Hours of Sebring the spyder finished 2nd to a JWA Gulf Ford GT40. At the BOAC 500km in Brands Hatch the same spyder was 4th behind three Porsche 908-01. At 1000km Monza, Chris Amon took the pole with the 312P spyder, ahead of Jo Siffert's 908-01, but had to retire. At the 1000km Spa, a 312P was second behind the Siffert/Redman 908-01LH. Two 312P Berlinettas were entered at Le Mans. They were 5 and 6 on the grid, but didn't finish. At the end of the season the 312Ps were sold to N.A.R.T., the American Ferrari importer of Luigi Chinetti, as the new and bigger Ferrari 512 should challenge the Porsche 917.

The Porsche 917 forced Ferrari to spend some of the millions earned in the Fiat deal for the production of 25 new Ferrari 512, to compete in 1970.