Cars after 1950 - Modern Times
Ferrari Type 312 B
1970
Code 0419
Body style: F1 single-seater
When Formula 1 allowed 3-litre engines to compete in the championship, the architecture of the cars changed significantly. Following some very serious accidents, safety concerns were key to these changes, which have proven to be very profitable nearly 20 years later. When the new rules came into force, a whole range of aerodynamic spoilers flourished, perched on the rear of the cars, always with a very precarious attachment to the car structure. By the middle of the 1970 season, the Commission Sportive Internationale outlawed these aerodynamic experiments. Ferrari’s new F1 model coincided with this return to sensible design, and the car in its entirety included multiple solutions, which pointed the way to the major developments in the 70s and 80s. The model on display in the Cité de l’Automobile is Code 0419.
A new 12-cylinder flat engine was used, with the cylinders paired up opposite one another, enabling the front surface to be significantly reduced, by lowering the structure in general. This powerful racer provided nearly 500 horsepower with its injection system, electronic ignition and four overhead camshafts.
Many of the greatest 1970s drivers sat at the wheel of this car. It was raced in Grands Prix by Jacky Ickx, Ignazio Giunti, Clay Regazzoni and Mario Andretti, who won the South African Grand Prix in it in 1971. Ford’s domination was finally broken by Nicky Lauda, who won his first World Championship at the wheel of a 12-flat 312 T2 in 1975. This famous car was also owned by driver Peter Schetty for a while.
