To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Monterey
event, 15 - 17 August 2019.
Estimate:
$350,000 - $425,000
- Offered from the Ming Collection
- Showing just 2,501 miles
- From the final year of production
- Includes owner's manuals, tool roll, jack, and accessories
- Certified for use in California
Ferrari charted an entirely new course with its Berlinetta Boxer.
On paper, the new car that debuted at the 1971 Turin Motor Show was
a replacement for the 365 GTB/4, but the two cars had little in
common beyond 12-cylinder power and a Ferrari badge.
Where the Daytona was a front-engined touring car, the Berlinetta
Boxer�later shortened to BB�was a high-tech mid-engined sports car.
Both cars were penned by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, though
they represented sharp contrasts in the legendary designer's
career. The BB was angular, with a sharp nose that appeared almost
as a single line running from the front of its bumper to the top of
its windshield. Its roofline was brief, sloping rearward to a
truncated tail.
Stuffed behind the passenger compartment was a longitudinally
mounted flat-12 rated in initial tune at a healthy 380 horsepower
in the 365 GT4 BB. The engine's 180-degree design stood in marked
contrast to the 60-degree Colombo V-12 that reached its carbureted
zenith in the Daytona. The flat-12 came paired with carburetors in
its initial inception. In 1981, Bosch K-Jetronic CIS fuel injection
arrived for more even delivery of its 335 horsepower, improved
drivability, and reduced emissions. The new powertrain was
signified by a new name�512 BBi�and 1,007 were produced before
production ceased in 1984.
The example offered here comes from the final year of production
and is finished in traditional Rosso Corsa over tan leather
upholstery that extends from the seats to the dashboard, center
console, and door panels. A period Ferrari-branded Pioneer radio
with a separate graphic equalizer booster control panel sits in the
dashboard. Although the BB was never certified for sale in the
U.S., this example was sold by Luigi Chinetti to its first owner,
Richard Buccola from Anaheim, California, on 22 May 1984 and made
legal in that state along with the rest of the country. Incredibly,
its odometer displays just 2,501 miles, a nearly unbelievable feat
given that the 512 is now 35 years old. Original plastic film
applied in Maranello protects its doorsills. Michelin TRX tires
remain wrapped around the special alloy wheels with chrome center
knock-off caps. Factory books, tools, spare tire, jack, and
accessories still accompany the car.
The Ming Collection acquired this 512 BBi, certainly among the
finest extant, in 2005 and has added just a handful of miles since.
Routine age-related servicing has been conducted to ensure that the
512 BBi will run as strongly as its looks suggest, and the last
servicing was performed in February 2016. To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19.
