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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Scuderia Ferrari | ||||||||
| Designer | Mauro Forghieri | ||||||||
| Predecessor | 246 F1-66 | ||||||||
| Successor | 312B | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminiummonocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, inboardspring/damper | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Twin trailing links, upper lateral links, lower reversed A-arms | ||||||||
| Engine | 2,989 cc (182.4 cu in), 60°V12,naturally aspirated,mid-engine,longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Ferrari Type 589, 5-speed,manual | ||||||||
| Fuel | Shell | ||||||||
| Tyres | Early '66Dunlop Mid '66-69Firestone | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Scuderia Ferrari | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |  Lorenzo Bandini John SurteesLudovico Scarfiotti Chris Amon Jacky Ickx | ||||||||
| Debut | 1966 Monaco Grand Prix. | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. | |||||||||
TheFerrari 312 F1 was the designation of the 3 litre V-12 (hence 312)Formula One cars raced by the Italian team from 1966 to 1969.
Designed under the leadership ofMauro Forghieri, there were two distinct variations using this designation, the 1966 version and the completely different 1967-69 version. The '66 cars carried on the chassis numbering sequence from the previous year's 1.5 litre cars, while the '67 cars began a new sequence at "0001". To avoid confusion, the cars are commonly referred to as 312 F1-66, 312 F1-67 etc.
For the1966 Formula One season, there was a change in the technical regulations, now allowing 3 litre engines. The F1 teams, even though asking for "the return to power", were more or less surprised and not well prepared.
Ferrari's first 1966 car consisted of a 3.3-litreV12 engine that was taken from theFerrari 275P2 sportscar prototypes, modified to 3000cc, and mounted in the back of an F1 chassis. The designation312, which would be used for a number of later cars, indicated a3-litre,12-cylinder engine. The engine was rather heavy, and due to the reduced capacity, lower on power and especially torque.John Surtees drove this contraption unsuccessfully in Monaco whileLorenzo Bandini drove aFerrari Dino 2.4-litre V6. Surtees won the second race, the1966 Belgian Grand Prix, a track that favoured power with its long straights, but the 1964 champion departed after a row with manager Eugenio Dragoni a week later at the24 Hours of Le Mans. The issue was about priorities in racing, as Ferrari was under pressure from Ford in sports car racing, and the F1 effort was somewhat neglected.Mike Parkes replaced Surtees, who went toCooper which usedMaserati engines, to finish second in the driver championship with a further win. For Ferrari,Ludovico Scarfiotti also won a race, the1966 Italian Grand Prix at Monza which helped Ferrari finish second in the Constructors' Championship.[1]
In 1967, the team fired Dragoni and replaced him withFranco Lini.Chris Amon partnered Bandini to drive a somewhat improved version of the 1966 V12 car. At the1967 Monaco Grand Prix, Bandini crashed and suffered heavy injuries when he was trapped under his burning car; several days later he succumbed to his injuries. Ferrari re-hired Mike Parkes, but Parkes suffered career-ending injuries weeks later at the1967 Belgian Grand Prix. Several accidents, a fatality, no race win, and only 5th in the Constructors' Championship marked a bad year for Ferrari. In addition, the newFord Cosworth DFV engine that had its debut in theLotus 49 would dominate F1 in the 15 years to come.[2]
The 1968 season continued Ferrari's poor performance. New driverJacky Ickx won the wet1968 French Grand Prix, but had few other successes. Things became more complicated during the season due to the introduction of aerodynamic devices into F1, and their quick development. At the end of the season, Scuderia Ferrari finished 4th in the Constructors' Championship. Manager Franco Lini quit, and so did Ickx, moving toBrabham. To provide for the future, during the summer of 1968, Enzo Ferrari worked out a deal to sell his road car business toFiat for $11 million; the transaction took place in early 1969, leaving 50% of the business still under control of Ferrari himself.[3]
During 1969 Enzo Ferrari set about wisely spending his new-found wealth to revive his struggling team; though Ferrari did compete in Formula One in 1969, it was something of a throwaway season while the team was restructured. In March and April 1969, Porsche unexpectedly had presented 25Porsche 917 for homologation as 5-litre sportscars, which would dominate over the few 3-litre prototypes that were entered by Alfa, Matra, Ford, Porsche, Alpine. Thus, in addition to theFerrari 312P, the Scuderia in 1969 also invested a lot of "FIAT money" to built 25Ferrari 512S sportscars up front to be competitive in the1970 World Sportscar Championship, without being able to sell all of them to customers.
Amon continued to drive an older model andPedro Rodríguez tookJacky Ickx's place; at the end of the year Amon left the team which once again had no race wins and was only ranked 5th in the Constructors' Championship.[4]
The car was succeeded by the flat-engine312B "Boxer" which was introduced for the1970 Formula One season.
| Technical data | 312 F1-66 | 312 F1-67 | 312 F1-68 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine: | Mid-mounted 60° 12-cylinderV-engine | ||
| displacement: | 2989 cm3 | ||
| Bore x stroke: | 77.0 x 53.5 mm | ||
| Compression: | 11.8:1 | ||
| Max power at rpm: | 360 hp at 10 000 rpm | 390 hp at 10 000 rpm | 410 hp at 11 000 rpm |
| Valve control: | Dual Overhead Camshafts per cylinder bank | ||
| Valves per cylinder: | 2 pcs | 3 pcs | 4 pcs |
| Fuel system: | Lucasfuel injection | ||
| Gearbox: | 5-speed manual | ||
| suspension front: | Upper cross link, lower triangle link, coil springs | ||
| suspension rear: | Upper transverse link, lower triangular link, double longitudinal links, coil springs, anti-roll bars | ||
| Brakes: | Hydraulic disc brakes | ||
| Chassis &body: | Self-supporting monocoque | ||
| Wheelbase: | 240 cm | ||
| Dry weight: | 600 kg | 550 kg | 510 kg |
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 3.0V12 | F D | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | NED | GER | ITA | USA | MEX | 311 | 2nd | ||||
| John Surtees | Ret | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Lorenzo Bandini | NC | 6 | 6 | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||
| Mike Parkes | 2 | Ret | Ret | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Ludovico Scarfiotti | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1967 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 3.0V12 | F | RSA | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | CAN | ITA | USA | MEX | 20 | 5th | ||
| Lorenzo Bandini | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
| Chris Amon | 3 | 4 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | Ret | 9 | ||||||||
| Mike Parkes | 5 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| Ludovico Scarfiotti | 6 | NC | ||||||||||||||||
| Jonathan Williams | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 3.0V12 | F | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | 32 | 4th | |
| Jacky Ickx | Ret | Ret | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | DNS | Ret | ||||||||
| Chris Amon | 4 | Ret | Ret | 6 | 10 | 2 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | |||||||
| Andrea de Adamich | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
| Derek Bell | Ret | Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| 1969 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 3.0V12 | F | RSA | ESP | MON | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | 7 | 6th | ||
| Chris Amon | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | ||||||||||||
| Ernesto Brambilla | DNS | |||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Rodríguez | Ret | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| North American Racing Team | Ret | 5 | 7 |
In 1998, a drivable, detailed virtual recreation of the 1967 Ferrari 312 appeared as one of the leading cars inGrand Prix Legends (GPL), a PC-based simulation of the 1967 F1 championship. The 1966 version was part of a free66 Mod forGPL, which was introduced in 2007. It included further refined driving physics. The 1968 and 1969 cars, which feature wings for added downforce, appear in the respective season mods as well. In 2017, the 1967 version was included in the Ferrari 70th Anniversary Celebration Pack forAssetto Corsa.
In 2011, TheF1Times.com rated the 312 as being "the most beautiful Formula One car of all time", stating "Ferrari's 312 remains in some opinions as one of the most aesthetically-pleasing Formula One cars of not only the 1960s, but of all time."[5]
