Vehicle Description
Chassis No. ZFFJA09B000043721
Appearing in prototype form at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, Ferrari's
Berlinetta Boxer (BB) represented the marque's graceful transition
from its perfected formula of front-engined grand tourers to
hard-edged sports cars. Designed by Pininfarina, the BB was
developed to answer Lamborghini's Miura, which had caused a stir in
Maranello with its precocious mid-engined design. Its initial
variant, the 365 GT4 BB, marked the beginning of a distinguished
and successful lineage of flagship mid-engined flat-twelve Ferraris
that extended well into the 1990s. Nestled under the
Scaglietti-constructed body was a race-proven flat-twelve derived
from the engine in Mauro Forghieri's 1964 Ferrari 512 Formula One
car, and later used in the 312 PB Sports Racing Prototypes of the
early 1970s.
In 1976, Ferrari debuted the 365 Boxer's more refined successor,
the 512 BB, equipped with an enlarged version of the flat-twelve
termed the "F102 B," leading to a new nomenclature where 512
referred to the car's 5.0-liter, 12-cylinder engine. The 512 BB
retained the successful formula of the original BB while
introducing minor styling enhancements to improve aerodynamics and
engine cooling. Dry sump lubrication now prevented oil starvation
under hard cornering, while a new dual plate clutch reduced pedal
effort for a more livable overall driving experience. In 1981, the
final iteration of the 512 BB emerged as the 512 BBi - the
lowercase "i" denoting fuel injection. Although the Berlinetta
Boxer was never officially sold in the USA, the 512 BBi was much
easier to federalize than its carbureted predecessor and therefore
escaped undesirable modifications targeted at meeting American
emissions regulations. Only 1,007 units of the 512 BBi were
produced between 1981 and 1984, and this final fuel-injected series
is considered to be the most livable Berlinetta Boxer with air
conditioning, power windows, and a stereo all becoming standard
equipment.
Classically presented in Rosso Corsa with Nero-finished boxer lower
bodywork, this left-hand-drive Ferrari 512 BBi was completed on 8
October 1982. Desirably, the interior is trimmed in "Nero Stoffa"
black-and-gray upholstery with supremely rare wool inserts tailored
by fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna. Lining the seats, door panels,
and headliner, this exclusive treatment was only available on the
1981-1984 BBi and is thought to have been specified on just 27
examples from the factory. Also adorning this rare interior is a
gated shifter, Pioneer cassette stereo with graphic equalizer, and
a correct, MOMO leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel framing
Veglia instrumentation including its as-delivered 320-kph
speedometer. The exterior retains a similarly well-kept and
factory-correct presentation, including its Vitaloni side-view
mirrors, center-lock Cromodora wheels with chrome center knock-off
caps, and French-market Amber Cibie fog lights.
Although much of chassis number 43721's more recent history remains
unrecorded, the 512 BBi is understood to have been delivered to
France seven months after completion on 13 May 1983. Importantly,
the car is accompanied by its original warranty book recording that
it was sold via Monaco Motors in Monte Carlo to its original owner
Monsieur Andre Poli, resident at Le Monte Carlo Star, located
between Casino de Monte Carlo and Boulevard Louis II. The sparkling
new Ferrari would have been right at home in the shadow of the
tunnel on Monaco's iconic Grand Prix Circuit as it approached
Nouvelle Chicane, with the lightly bobbing yachts in Port Hercule
as the backdrop.
In more recent times, invoices dated April and May of 2023 detail
over $12,000 in mechanical sorting performed by Collector Car
Services in Danbury, Connecticut in preparation for the sale. Work
included installing a new clutch kit, master cylinder, slave
cylinder, fuel accumulator, and ignition module, as well as
resurfacing the flywheel. With its exceptionally rare Ermenegildo
Zegna wool inserts and a low indicated mileage of just under 16,000
kilometers at the time of cataloging, this is a fantastic example
of an important model that linked Ferrari's front-engined GT era to
their new generation of mid-engine, flat-twelve road cars. The last
of the hand-built Prancing Horses, this 512 BBi is completed with
its original books in their proper folio, tools, and service
invoices, and it is sure to be enjoyed by its next owner.
