Produced as a late answer to Lamborghini’s blueprint-setting supercar, the Miura, the Berlinetta Boxer was the first roadgoing flagship 12-cylinder Ferrari with the the engine at the middle, behind the cockpit. Of course, the first ‘Ferrari’ to do that was the Dino, but that was only with a V6 engine. The first Berlinetta Boxer came in 1971 with a race-derived 4.4L carbureted 12-cylinder engine known as the 365 GT4 BB – perhaps the least good looking one out of the entire Berlinetta Boxer range with a chinless front splitter and rather out of place six rear lights and six exhaust tips set up at the rear. As always with these things though, the 365 GT4 BB is the most valuable one today, as the first iterations are more often than not the most desirable and, most importantly, Ferrari only made 387 of them.
In 1976, Ferrari upgraded the 365 GT4 BB with the 512BB, now with 4.9L but still a carbureted 12-cylinder engine. With 360HP, the 512BB is the most potent model out of the entire Berlinetta Boxer range as the car that came afterwards, the 512BBi produced between 1981 to 1984, had transitioned to fuel injection as many of the cars did at the time due to technology and emission needs. Like many cars that transitioned from carburetors to fuel injection at the time, the 512BBi inevitably lost some power, approximately 20HP, and with a redline that dropped from the 512BB’s 6,800RPM to 6,600RPM. Torque, however, was increased, so technically it performed similarly as its predecessor. Needless to say, the “i" in 512BBi stands for ‘injection’. While not the most potent model in the range, the 512BBi is nevertheless the most produced, with 1,007 produced in its four years of production compared to the 512BB’s 929.
The car we are reviewing today is a late 1984 512BBi. As this is Hong Kong, this car is a RHD model which is ultra rare as there were only 42 RHD 512BBi’s made. Before we even started reviewing, it was hard not to just look and appreciate the car quietly, to fully absorb its aesthetic beauty. Many, including the designer of the Berlinetta Boxer and the 308GTB Leonardo Fioravanti, sees the latter as one of the most pure and beautiful Ferrari designs ever made. However, even being an owner of a 308GTB, I can’t help but be biased towards the Berlinetta Boxer’s looks. Its perfect size (just ever so slightly but appropriately bigger than the 308), its over-the-top huge yellow indicator lights at the front, and, in the case of the BBi, its front exposed fog lights which gives it a puppy-eye look when you look at it straight on, just work perfectly. And need I mention the front and rear clamshell openings? So iconic and never to be repeated in any Ferrari’s since.
Stepping into the car, the first rather odd thing I notice is the squeaking door. I observed the same anomaly when I reviewed the 512TR a few years ago, where the driver’s door also squealed when being opened or closed. I never experienced this issue in any of the 308, 328, and 348 that I have reviewed, making this seemingly a 12-cylinder model problem. Seating position is typical classic Ferrari – I am not sure if it is because I am used to it by now or what, but I did not get the typical long-arms-short-legs feel found in classic Italians in my driving position. While the dashboard is more 328 and Testarossa-esque, with the orange-on-black dials, everything else such as the gear shifter, toggle switches, and central handbrake are pretty much identical to my 308GTB.
Putting my left foot down, the clutch is indeed heavy – more so than my 308GTB, but not exactly disconcerting, and certainly manageable. The throttle however, is quite sticky, giving it an artificial on-off feel where you are either not giving enough gas or suddenly you are giving too much. Setting off in it from standstill in the first few minutes was rather embarrassing as I was high-revving quite a bit as if I didn’t know how to drive a manual car. Having the owner in the camera car right behind me added even more pressure. I wouldn’t attribute this to the Berlinetta Boxer line, however, as I am sure this sticky throttle issue is car-specific. Cars of this age all have their different and unique niggles. On the contrary, this specific car’s gear changes are exceptionally smooth and much better than my 308GTB’s rigid gear changes.
Other than the sticky throttle, the car is easy to handle and nothing I am surprised or not familiar with. What surprised me though, was the first time I put the gas pedal down. It was for a short 50 meters or so from just second to third gear, and the car flew! It picked up quite rapidly and felt very light, I was impressed. In-period reviews always criticized the Berlinetta Boxer’s handling – saying that at the limit it was unpredictable and prone to snap-oversteer. This is due to the fact that the big 12-cylinder engine sits on top of the transmission, creating a very high centre of gravity and therefore compromising handling. Today, we are only driving the car on highways therefore, unfortunately, I am unable to try the car’s handling. All I can do, really, is drown my self in the symphony of that beautiful flat-12 engine. A race-derived engine, the Tipo F110 A is largely similar to the engines used in the preceding 365 GT4 BB and 512BB except, of course, it is now fuel injected. The engine note is therefore less aggressive and loud than its carbureted elders but nevertheless, sounds beautiful. Starting from the 550 Maranello, 12-cylinder Ferrari’s simply never sounded nearly as good again in my opinion.
Power delivery is good, with the RPM needle rushing up the revs quicker than I expected every time I put my foot down. Its 340HP is hardly intimidating for today’s standards but actually works out perfectly on Hong Kong highways. More than capable enough to feel fast (and it is fast), but still allows the driver to get through a few gears, maybe on or two at redline, without getting the driver in jail.
In just a few short kilometers, my test drive was over. I have had the fortunes of driving many classic Ferrari’s before, so admittedly the novelty of driving a classic Ferrari has numbed a little for me in terms of the atmosphere, touch, and other senses. However, a classic 12-cylinder Ferrari is always exhilarating to drive, and particularly for the Berlinetta Boxer and Testarossa era. The older 12-cylinder models that I have driven, such as the 330GT 2+2 and the Daytona, have a different, less aggressive feel to them. They also generally feel less solid than the Berlinetta Boxer and Testarossa. The two latter models are a lot more aggressive and confrontational with its noise, power delivery, and throttle and steering feel.
I have always criticized modern flagship 12-cylinder Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s as feeling too much like grand tourers (which, to be fair, is what they are). I always feel they have an identity crisis, particularly for the mid-engined models. The Murcielago is especially guilty of this, where it looks like a very aggressive and on-point track weapon when in fact, it feels very comfortable and soft inside, designed to do thousands of miles cross continent. The 512TR is a little better in this sense, as it is from an earlier era where it has less technology-driven creature comforts (with its conventional suspension, drive by cable throttle, lack of power steering etc.), but you can still feel it was designed to be a reasonably comfortable grand tourer. The 512BBi, I am happy to report, does not feel like that at all. It simply feels like my 308GTB on steroids, and I felt no hints that it would serve as a very comfortable long distance grand tourer throughout my drive, and that is great.
I have raved on many times before how my dream Ferrari is an F50, which is an unattainable unicorn. I didn’t mention, however, that my second dream Ferrari has always been the Berlinetta Boxer (the carbureted 512BB would be my first choice) and I am extremely happy that my first experience with driving one has been so pleasant and rewarding. As always, I thank the owner for his trust and generosity, and my team for helping shoot this episode!
Dave (david@lemonadeandgiggles.com)
Alex C (IG: @nofishark)
Jeremy (IG: @jy30r)
See our review video here: