Lot 144: 1978 Ferrari 512 BB Koenig

The success of Ferrari's Dino 246 soon led the company to build a mid-engined bigger brother. In 1973 it announced the 365GT4/BB which immediately established itself as the most desirable car in the world. A new multi-tube frame took the double overhead camshaft 4.4 litre flat 12 engine, mounted in-line amidships, the all independent suspension followed Ferrari's contemporary practice, and the Pininfarina studio surpassed itself. The body remained in production for 12 years, an unprecedented length of time for a Ferrari, and it remains high on anyone's list of most beautiful post-war cars. The 365 Boxer was the first production Ferrari not to have a V-engine. The new unit followed the pattem set by the marque's successful flat 12 Formula One and sports-racing units which had won World Championships in both categories, but in detail it was closely related to the engine in the Daytona which the Boxer eventually supplanted. It was 'Boxer' because the opposing pistons move away from each other, like boxers sparring. With 380bhp @ 7,200rpm and 3181b/ft torque @ 4,500rpm, top speed was 181mph with 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds, and even today few cars can match a welldriven Boxer cross country. The usual Ferrari development and improvement programme took place and culminated in a new, more powerful Boxer in 1976. The revised model, called the 512BB, used an enlarged version of the original Boxer engine bored out to 4.9 litres, thus enabling Ferrari to increase horsepower slightly whilst achieving a substantially higher torque rating. In 1981 the glorious banks of Weber carburettors gave way to Bosch fuel injection in order to meet US emissions requirements, and, although horsepower remained officially unaltered, in practice the cars lost their performance edge. The carburettor Boxers are therefore nowadays the most collectable, and are certainly the most rewarding to drive. Willy Koenig started independent tuning operations in 1974 with the first Ferrari 365 BB supplied to Germany. Right from the start, the philosophy of KOENIG-SPECIALS has been to built the ultimate sports cars for the road, a synthesis of aerodynamics and design, with individual sporty or exclusive interior fittings and optimum driving characteristics, thanks to improved chassis, racing brakes, wide rims and tyres, sports exhaust systems, engine performance values, and, at the customer's request, with turbo, supercharger, or high-performance engines. This fine example presented here today has been fitted with a narrow body Koenig modification as well as a recently completely rebuilt engine giving it an extra 30BHP. AP brakes and three calipers per wheel give the car more than enough stopping power to slow this super quick 512. This surely is one of the ultimate Ferrari 512 road cars available for sale today. Finished in classic Ferrari Rosso Corsa the car is presented in excellent condition throughout benefiting from a recent service and Belt service allowing the new owner to fully experience the full potential of this fantastic Ferrari. Supplied with German road registration.Ein hervorragender 512 mit den schmalen Karrosseriemodifikationen der Firma Koenig Specials, einem der renommiertesten Ferrari-Tuningbetriebe weltweit. Der Wagen praesentiert sich in aussergewoehnlich gutem Zustand und hat erst kuerzlich eine komplette Motorrevision inklusive des wichtigen Zahriemenwechsels erfahren. Dies muss einer der besten und schnellsten 512 sein, die man zur Zeit kaufen kann.