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www.QV500.com - Ferrari 365 P Part 1: 365 P Speciale ‘3-Posti Guida Centrale' |
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25 years before the McLaren F1, Ferrari built their own three-seat supercar with a mid-mounted V12. Known as the 365 P ‘3-Posti Guida Centrale', a pair of these extraordinary machines were made from scratch between 1966 and ‘67. They resembled subtly modified versions of the 365 P sports prototype, this having been an endurance racing car reserved for Ferrari's most favoured customer teams. During the 1965 and '66 seasons, 365 P's took outright victories in the Rheims 12 Hours, the Kyalami 9 Hours, the Angolan Grand Prix, the Clermont Ferrand Auvergne Trophy and the Cape Town 3 Hours. |
The three-seat version produced in 1966 and '67 sensationally positioned the driver in the centre of the cockpit with passenger seats either side. They were built around the same time the factory were developing prototypes for the Dino 206 GT, but rather than featuring V6 engines, they used V12's with more than twice as much horsepower. The ‘3-Posti's tubular steel chassis was outwardly similar to that of the regular 365 P, however, to free up space in what would otherwise have been an exceedingly cramped cockpit, the wheelbase was stretched from 2400mm to 2600mm. Two of these new frames were built, 8815 and 8971. Suspension was independent all round with adjustable dampers, anti-roll bars, disc brakes and five-spoke knock-off Cromodora alloys. The mid-mounted 60° V12 was positioned longitudinally in the chassis and featured light alloy for the cylinder block and head. Displacement was 4390cc thanks to a bore and stoke of 81 x 71mm respectively, compression being set at 9.0:1. With six twin choke Weber 42 DCN carburettors, output was quoted as 380bhp at 7300rpm. These were identical figures to the 4.4-litre 365 P racecars, so it's fair to assume leftover competition engines were probably installed in both chassis 8815 and 8971. Transmission was via a multi-plate five-speed gearbox. For the ‘3-Posti's bodywork, Ferrari unsurprisingly enlisted Pininfarina to create something suitable. Taking cues from the various Dino-badged projects that were in development at the time, the ‘3-Posti' also premiered some innovative details of its own. |
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Most notable was the large transparent roof panel whilst other nice touches included a horizontal bank of 12 vents running across the front lid. From behind, the carburettors were encased by a shapely chrome cover that complimented the curved rear windscreen. Inside, the two passenger seats were positioned slightly further back than the driver, McLaren adopting a similar approach for their vaunted F1 many years later. A classic wood-rimmed steering wheel fronted the custom dash, this housing individual cowls for the speedo and tach while the open gate competition transmission was located to the drivers right. |
The first ‘3-Posti' to be completed was chassis 8971. Displayed at the Paris Salon in October 1966, it caused a great deal of interest from the Pininfarina stand and went on to star at several more shows before going into long-term ownership with the Chinetti's. Luigi Chinetti was of course the North American Ferrari concessionaire and his family retain 8971 to this day. Another ‘3-Posti' (8815) was subsequently built up for Giovanni Agnelli, head of the sprawling Fiat empire and another man with very close connections to the Ferrari factory. Agnelli's car featured a number of detail differences to 8971, the most obvious having been a prominent brushed steel rear aerofoil. Other changes included re-shaped engine air scoops carved out from behind the door catches, a fuel filler cap moved from the rear three quarter window to the buttress and the repositioning of the front indicators from above the front bumperettes to below. Ordered in a soft metallic grey livery, Agnelli also specified a black belly strip that ran the length of the wheelbase. Despite its earlier chassis number than 8971, 8815 wasn't completed until late 1967, after which it went on to star at that November's Turin Salon. |
| Chassis | History |
| 8815 | Second car built |
| 8971 | First car built |
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