Good cars have some history. Good cars have raced, maybe won. Great cars have won a lot and they have done so on grand and historic stages. Brilliant cars? Shoot, lots of them have not so much as won a show and shine but they capture our imaginations and our automotive souls. The late 1960s Ferrari 312P is one of the last category of cars. It debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Mario Andretti at the wheel. It’s 48-valve, 3.0L Ferrari V12 was willing to throw down with the competition and it was driven to a podium finish. The original version of the car had an open roof. For Le Mans the closed version was made, just as you see here.
The car did not fare well at Le Mans and all the 312 inventory was off-loaded to America and Luigi Chenetti’s North American Racing Team. One went back to Le Mans and finished the race but did not end up on the podium or in the papers.
So how is this a brilliant car? Look at the damned thing. Look at it in a still photo and then see it and hear it on video. The 3.0L V12 made peak power (450 of them) at 10,800 rpm. Even the freaking numbers are sexy, right? This car and this specific run are featured on the Goodwood channel because it’s a combo of great driving and a machine that just begs you to stare at it.
Enjoy this with all the senses. Set you speakers on bleed.
Nice choice Lohnes, a beautiful car, glorious sounds, a gazillion dollars driven well a a tough place to go fast. thanks