This is a 1977 Ferrari 512 BB that was given a series of upgrades in period that made it a truly unique example of the Berlinetta Boxer series. It was given widened wheel arches, wider wheels, additional ducting, and the engine was upgraded for additional power.
Perhaps a little unusually, these upgrades were not applied in Italy but in England by the experienced team at Maranello Concessionaires – Britain’s first Ferrari dealer. The car would remain with its original owner right through to the present day, and it’s now being offered for sale for the first time.
Fast Facts – A Ferrari 512 BB “Wide Body”
- This is a unique 1977 Ferrari 512 BB, modified by British Ferrari dealer Maranello Concessionaires, featuring widened wheel arches, upgraded wheels, improved ducting, and engine modifications. The car has remained with its original owner, Alan Morello, until now and shows fewer than 6,000 miles on the odometer.
- The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer series, produced from 1973 to 1984, featured a Formula 1-derived flat-12 engine. The 512 BB model, introduced in 1976, boasted a 4.9 liter engine producing 360 bhp and held the Guinness World Record for fastest production car at 163 mph.
- This particular 512 BB received extensive modifications, including wider aluminum clamshells to accommodate larger wheels, redesigned B- and C-posts with deeper NACA ducts, repositioned sidelights, and a Competizione-style wing with transparent engine covers.
- The car’s engine modifications include velocity stacks on the Weber carburetors without air filters, a custom twin-pipe sports exhaust system, and rejetted carburetors. It’s now being offered for sale through H&H Auctions with an estimate of £150,000 – £170,000.
A History Speedrun: The Ferrari 512 BB
The Ferrari 512 BB was a member of the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer family of supercars built by the Italian automaker from 1973 until 1984, after which it was replaced with the Ferrari Testarossa. The Ferrari BBs were among the most beautiful mid-engined cars in the world in their time, and all were powered by a flat-12 derived from the engine used in the 1969 Ferrari 312B Formula 1 car.
This is the original factory-standard version of the Ferrari 512 BB. As you can see, the wheels and body are notably different from the car in this article, though the other body changes are slightly more subtle. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
The first of the Berlinetta Boxers was the 365 GT4 BB which debuted in 1973, it would set the standard that all the others would follow, with a tubular steel chassis in which the central body section formed a semi-monocoque.
Power was supplied by the Ferrari Tipo F102A engine, a 4.4 liter flat-12 with a power output of 339 bhp at 7,200 rpm with 302 lb ft of torque. It was sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transaxle and a limited-slip differential.
The Arrival Of The Ferrari 512 BB
The second car in the series would be the Ferrari 512 BB (also known as the BB 512) which debuted in 1976. The model name was a reference to the 5.0 liter engine and 12 cylinders, though in actual fact the engine was slightly closer to 4.9 liters (4,943cc).
Power was increased to 360 bhp at 6,800 rpm with a similar increase in peak torque up to 331 lb ft. At the time of its release, the 512 BB was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s fastest (independently road-tested) production car, with a top speed of 163 mph (262 km/h).
The Final Member Of The Family: The Ferrari 512 BBi
The final member of the model series would be the fuel-injected Ferrari 512 BBi which arrived on dealership showroom floors in 1981. This car also had the 4.9 liter flat-12, however due to emissions equipment it actually produced slightly less power than either of its predecessors.
The wide body styling actually suits the car very well, and if you didn’t know better it would be easy to believe the car had come from the factory like this.
Two racing versions of the Berlinetta Boxer were developed, the 365 GT4 BB NART which was built by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART), and the 512 BB LM “Competizione” which was built in-house by Ferrari. The best result in motorsport was a 1st in class (5th overall) in the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Ferrari 512 BB “Wide Body” Shown Here
The Ferrari 512 BB “Wide Body” you see here is the only one of its kind in the world. It started out as a standard 1977 Ferrari 512 BB in right-hand drive, that was delivered to Alan Morello in England, the heir to a successful family business.
Morello had Sicilian roots and a deep love for all things Sicilian and Italian, one of them being Ferraris. He ordered his new 512 BB through the best-known dealership in Britain at the time, Maranello Concessionaires, and took delivery in August of that same year.
It’s possible that Morello was inspired by the then-new Ferrari 512 BB LM race car, as he would send the 512 BB back to Maranello Concessionaires when it was essentially still new to have a series of performance modifications carried out.
Bodywork craftsman Barry Merriman widened the aluminium clamshells front and rear so they could fit 9J front and 11J rear alloy wheels, up from the original 7.5J and 9J originals. The area between the B-posts and C-posts on each side of the vehicle was reshaped and given deeper NACA ducts for improved airflow.
The sidelights were then repositioned within the front grille and a set of three vents were added to both rear wings. The rear engine lid was de-badged and modified with a Competizione-style wing and transparent covers to showcase the engine below.
The four Weber carburetors were given velocity stacks and no air filters, and a special, twin-pipe sports exhaust was also fitted. After this the Webers were re-jetted to match the new, much more open airflow into and out of the flat-12.
The car would remain in Alan Morello’s private collection for the rest of his life. Many other cars came and went, but the 512 BB “Wide Body” remained fixed in place. It was driven, but only sparingly, and today it shows fewer than 6,000 miles on the odometer.
The air cleaners were removed and a series of velocity stacks fitted to the Weber carburetors. A freer-flowing exhaust was also fitted, and then the carbs were re-jetted to match.
The car is now due to be sold for the first time since it was new, it’ll be rolling across the auction block with H&H Auctions on the 9th of April with a price guide of £150,000 – £170,000 or approximately $190,000 to $215,000 USD.
If you’d like to read more about this unusual, one-off Ferrari you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of H&H Auctions
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