Ferrari’s last racing car developed specifically for sports prototype racing was the 312PB, a car that marked the end of an era. After this car, Ferrari exited sports car racing and concentrated its efforts solely on Formula One.
Not that the Ferrari 312PB wasn’t a successful racecar; it won the 1972 sports car championship, when it conquered every race except the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Ferrari chose not to enter due to reliability questions related to the car’s F1-derived 12-cylinder engine.
Reliability issues were also the main concern of Mr. Steven Rean, today’s owner of one 1972 example of the iconic model, before he decided to buy it with the intention to take it vintage racing. In the end, he couldn’t help it and bought the Ferrari, attracted by its F1-based cockpit, stunning racing pedigree and, most of all, by the spine-tingling sound of the V12 engine.
The following video from Petrolicious is worth watching if only for the raw soundtrack of Ferrari’s racing engine. Let’s just hope the Italians will return to sports car racing soon.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO