For Sale at Auction: 1984 Ferrari 512 BBI in Carmel, California

Chassis No. ZFFJA09B000052657
Engine No. 01013

First shown in prototype form at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and introduced in production two years later, Ferrari's Berlinetta Boxer marked a new chapter for the marque. Penned by Pininfarina, it became Ferrari's first series-production mid-engined 12-cylinder road car, establishing a lineage of flagship flat-12 supercars that would continue through the Testarossa and into the 1990s. Beneath its Scaglietti-built bodywork was a race-derived 180-degree V12, evolved from Mauro Forghieri's Formula One program and later proven in the dominant 312 PB Sports Prototypes of the early 1970s.

Ferrari evolved the concept in 1976 with the 512 BB, whose enlarged 5.0-liter "F102 B" engine gave rise to a new model designation-five liters, 12 cylinders. While retaining the character of the original Boxer, the 512 BB introduced subtle aerodynamic revisions, improved engine cooling, dry-sump lubrication for sustained high-performance driving, and a lighter dual-plate clutch that made the car easier to live with.

The final evolution arrived in 1981 as the 512 BBi, its suffix denoting Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. Although the Berlinetta Boxer was never officially imported into the United States, the fuel-injected BBi proved considerably easier to federalize than its carbureted predecessor. Produced through 1984 in just 1,007 examples, it is widely regarded as the most refined and usable Berlinetta Boxer, with standard air conditioning, power windows, and a stereo complementing its legendary flat-12 performance.

While the 512 BBi was never officially offered in the United States, that did not stop enterprising individuals from acquiring one. The most determined of them may have been Roger E. Wilcox of Paradise Valley, Arizona. Wilcox was one of the inspirations for Richard Hooker's novel M*A*S*H, as well as the subsequent film and TV series. The original purchase invoice on file documents that on 26 July 1984, he placed his order through Walnut Creek Ferrari, Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area for a 512 BBi in Bianco over Beige leather for an original purchase price of $59,000.

The subsequent Certificato d' Origine and factory invoice record that the car was completed on 19 September 1984 and was issued tourist plates EE 99357, with Wilcox taking delivery at the factory in Maranello two days later on 21 September. The extensive history file, maintained over just two private owners, contains original purchase documentation, Willcox's International Driving Permit used during delivery, and its all-important importation paperwork showing that the car arrived stateside on 7 December 1984 through the port of San Francisco. Most importantly, records document not only Wilcox's single ownership and careful, measured use over the next two decades through 2004, but also maintenance by the late Australian Bob Wallace of Lamborghini fame.

Wallace bridged the divide between the BBi's first and second owner in 2004, restoring the car for its second owner James Speer, of Phoenix, Arizona. During this restoration, the 512 BBi was comprehensively repainted in Rosso Barchetta, a darker red shade that complements the 512's Pininfarina bodywork, especially without the expected two-tone finish. Following Wallace's passing in 2013, servicing transitioned to Exclusive Motorcars of Arizona which, along with regular upkeep and scheduled servicing, performed a major, engine-out service with a new clutch in October 2024.

It is fitted with Group 4 specification, 17-inch BBi-style wheels to accommodate modern Michelin tires, while the re-trimmed Beige leather interior remains excellently presented with its original Ferrari-branded Pioneer graphic equalizer, its condition commensurate with the 33,466 original miles shown on its Veglia Borletti odometer at the time of cataloging. Furthermore, all of the hallmarks of low miles and two long-term owners are present. The BBi retains its original VIN-matched manuals, toolkit, purchase and importation documents, original Ferrari Certificate of Origin, emergency accessories, and its all-important service and ownership paperwork documenting its exceptional provenance. Having been serviced and inspected just prior to its offering here in Monterey, this final model year 512 BBi is one of the last examples of Ferrari's Berlinetta Boxer series, and remains a mid-engined V12 masterpiece from Maranello.