Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer (BB) History
History
Revealed as a concept at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and entering production in 1973, the Ferrari 365 GT4/BB ('Berlinetta Boxer') was the company's first mid-engine production V12 car. Its horizontally opposed ('boxer') flat-12 engine was mounted longitudinally amidships, producing 344 hp from 4.4 litres.
The 512 BB replaced the 365 in 1976 with a 5.0-litre engine, and was itself succeeded in 1981 by the fuel-injected 512 BBi. The BB family was not officially imported to the United States due to emissions and safety regulations, but grey-market examples arrived regardless and the car's Pininfarina styling — wedge-shaped with NACA ducts and a wide, squat stance — became a motif of 1970s supercar design.
Total production spanned approximately 2,323 cars across all three variants. The BB was supplanted in 1984 by the Testarossa, which used a wider, quad-cam version of the flat-12.
Generations
-
365 GT4/BB · 365 BB
4.4-litre naturally aspirated flat-12; 387 built.
-
512 BB
Enlarged 5.0-litre flat-12; 929 built — more mid-range torque and revised cooling.
-
1977 Photo: “Rétromobile 2015 - Ferrari 512 BB Pininfarina - 1977 - 001” by Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
-
1978 Photo: “1978 Ferrari 512 BB at Quail 2022 front” by Prova MO / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
-
1979 Photo: “1979 Ferrari 512 BB in Rosso Chiaro, front right (Greenwich 2025)” by Mr.choppers / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
-
-
512 BBi
Fuel-injected 512 BB; Bosch K-Jetronic injection, 929 built.
Body styles
- Coupé
Related models