The Ferrari 365 GT4 BB

Table of Contents:

Ferrari 365 GT4 BB – Key Details

The Ultimate Guide to the Ferrari 365 GT4 BB

FERRARI 365 GT4 BB – FERRARI’S GROUND-BREAKING COUNTACH COMPETITOR

How’s this for a noteworthy fact about the 365 GT4 BB: It was Ferrari’s first mid-engined production car. Initially, Enzo Ferrari had been adamant about not making a mid-engined cars for the road, feeling that they were too much for the average driver to handle. With the Lamborghini Miura having taken the world by storm and the new mid-engined Countach on the horizon, though, Ferrari needed something special, and so this revolutionary new model was introduced for 1973. The 365 GT4 BB was the first in a line of “BB,” or Berlinetta Boxer, models; all of them motivated by a mid-mounted 12-cylinder engine.

AN ENGINE DERIVED FROM FORMULA 1

Sure, its placement was new, but the 365 GT4 BB’s engine was a further departure from the predecessor Daytona’s Colombo V12 because it was now a flat-12 rather than a v-shaped design. Ferrari took its basic layout from its 1970 F1 engine, naturally. This 4.4-litre unit developed 380 bhp and was hooked up to a 5-speed manual transmission. Interestingly, even though “boxer” is part of its name, the BB’s engine did not actually feature a true boxer firing order. Although the performance specs can be all-but-impossible to verify on these older vehicles, it is still remarkable to note that the claimed top speed was over 180 mph.

WEDGE STYLING

Created by Pininfarina, the 365 GT4 BB’s shape was referred to as an “extreme wedge.” Its low, pointy nose is complimented by a rather short, abrupt rear overhang. This general shape would later be echoed on models like the 308 and 288 GTO. As is so common with old Ferraris, what Pininfarina created was a timeless design that simultaneously evokes strength and grace. Many 365s were given a satin black paint job on the lower half of the car; a new experiment for Ferrari that soon spread to other models.

CONCLUSION

Unfortunately, the 365 GT4 BB would not achieve the prestige or sales numbers of the rival Countach. Still, no one can deny that this isn’t an impressive and monumentally important offering from Ferrari. Only 387 examples were built through 1976, but the subsequent BB variants, the BB 512 and BB 512i, would enjoy more success than this original model.

Ferrari 365 GT4 BB – Photo Gallery

Ferrari 365 GT4 BB – Technical Specifications

Ferrari 365 GT4 BB – Registry & Videos

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