www.QV500.com - Ferrari 512 Part 2: 512 M

Things looked good in the race, Ickx demolishing the opposition and setting a new lap record, however, the new car hit trouble with a broken alternator when leading and eventually retired. Over the close season, most 512's were updated to M specification, some by the factory, others with a kit of parts supplied by Ferrari. The front track was widened by 100mm to 1518mm, rear track remaining unchanged at 1511mm. The spare wheel was moved from underneath the front bodywork to above the gearbox, this facilitating the use of a much lower, more angular nose profile. A pair of adjustable flaps replaced the ineffective rear lip spoiler whilst a large airbox was normally mounted above the engine to force air to the intake-trumpets. Two vents were also carved out from behind the rear fender-mounted radiators and the Spyder option was discontinued. Ferrari's Tipo 261/C motor was equipped with chrome-plated cylinder liners, a modified dry sump scavenging system and a higher compression ratio. Boasting a reliable 610bhp at 9000rpm and with overall weight cut by 40kg (to just over 815kg), the 512 M looked like a formidable proposition. After that promising debut at the Osterreichring, a works Ferrari team car was then entered for the non-championship Rand 9 Hour race at Kyalami in November 1970. Driven by Ickx and Giunti, it took pole, led from the start and eventually finished two laps ahead of the closest 917. Things seemed promising for 1971 and in addition to uprating old 512's with the Modificato kit, some teams went a stage further and developed their own high performance tweaks. Probably the most famous case was chassis 1040, the Earle Cord Racing 512 S owned jointly by Steve Earle, Chris Cord and run under the banner of Hollywood Sports Cars.

Traco modified the engine and by dropping the oil pressure from 120lbs to 40, freed up 614bhp. The finished article was then painted in a stunning blue livery with yellow detailing, the colours of Penske's title sponsor, the Sun Oil Company (Sunoco). At the curtain raising Daytona 24 Hour race in January 1971, 1040 was over a second quicker than the fastest 917 and eventually finished third after niggling problems. It was undoubtedly the fastest 512 around, but dogged by bad luck and reliability issues, never fulfilled its potential. Another 512 M that was further modified to lend it a competitive edge was chassis 1048. Originally used by the factory as a test car throughout 1970, it was sold to Scuderia Filipinetti over the close season and after a couple of races, brought up to official M spec. Other modifications included the fitting of a Porsche windscreen and Penske-style rear aerofoil, however, 1048 was crashed on its next outing at Le Mans. Mike Parkes went off at White House and subsequently lost two hours in the pits for repairs. Failing to run properly thereafter, 1048 was eventually retired by Henri Pescarolo around 3am and raced only once more afterwards. Despite those two promising runs by factory cars in late 1970, the 512 M's failed to live up to expectations in 1971. Scuderia Ferrari were already beginning to focus on the 312 PB for 1972 (when a three-litre engine limit would be introduced) which left it to the privateer teams who were never able to match the preparation or development of the Gulf 917's despite superior machinery. Consequently, just two wins materialised in 1971, both of which were in non-championship events. Arturo Merzario won the Imola 300km in May and Hughes de Fierlant the Zandvoort Benelux Cup two months later.