Ferrari Service and Repair, Race Car, Street Car Prep and Driver Coaching
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The Type 125 Sport or Tipo 125 S Competizione was Enzo Ferrari's first race car and the First Ferrari to win a race outright. It followed earlier projects such as Scuderia Ferrari - a team of talent that brought Alfa Romeo to the top of Grand Prix - and Auto Avio-Construzioni (AAC), Enzo's immediate pre-war car. Both these helped shape the 125, which itself was a testbed of good and bad ideas until the final specification was reached for the 166 Spyder Corsa.
During the wartime period, Ferrari's factory blossomed into a 160 man workforce that made components and reduction gears for the war effort. After the it was over, Ferrari then had enough talented craftsmen and personal resources to manufacture his own cars.
Since enough time had passed since Ferrari signed his severance agreement with Alfa, the new car could finally bear his own name. It was conceived over two years from a clean sheet of paper and its design lent nothing from any other manufacturer. As a highlight, it would use a V12. Being somewhat of a rarity at the time, the V12 was inspired by Packard's unit and would garner necessary attention from customers.
The first car was largely designed by Gioachino Colombo and finished by Giuseppe Busso. It went on to provide a base for all of Ferrari's future road and racing success. Supported by a oval tubular frame from Gilco and a powered by a small displacement V12 that was ready for Voiturette racing, the very first Ferraris were only slight evolutions of the initial car which rolled out of the factory and debuted on May 11th at the Circuito di Piacenza.
This car, chassis 01C - Compeitizione or Corsa, often referred to as the Piacenza roadster - had an all-enveloping body and was driven by Franco Cortese to 6th place. It was called the 125 Sport, and was named after the 125cc unit displacement of a single cylinder. This was joined by a sister car 02C, which featured cycle fender bodywork and both were constantly updated to compete in Italian Championship events including the Rome GP, Circuito di Vercelli, Mille Miglia, Circuito di Parma, Firenze, and Circuito di Montenero at Livorno. The first victory was achieved by France Cortese at the GP or Rome and the victory was recorded on the cover of Motor in June of 1947.
In just Ferrari's sixth race he took on the 1947 Mille Miglia with test-driver Franco Cortese and Adelmo Marchetti in race number 219. Although Ferrari went on the dominate this race in following years, the very few of the motoring press paid attention to the little Ferrari except Corrado Millanta who photographed the cars engineering up close.1
Beyond the first two Ferraris 125s, subsequent similar cars were made for the upcoming International Formula 2 regulations. The most immediate was chassis 002I, featuring a larger type 159 1908cc engine and distinctly upgraded body with detachable fenders. Raymond Sommer won the Turin Grand Prix in 002I which was Ferrari's first major victory. The same car was later bored out 1995cc to take full advantage of the two liter limit and became the final configuration for Ferrari's first run of production cars, the semi-grand prix 166 Spider Corsa.
The first batch of cars used a chassis designed by Gilco and had pickup points for hydraulic shock absorbers, had their rear sway bar run through the chassis and a hole for start cart. Later chassis used a revised central cross member that was used up until 1951, lever shocks and Vanwell Thinwall bearings in place of the thick units.
The current whereabouts of chassis 01C and 02C have always been a entertaining point of conjecture. It's now largely agreed that 01C was fitted with a larger type 166 engine, an updated body and restamped as 0010I. Similarly, 02C received the same treatment. Both cars have traits of the early Gilco chassis and match up with 1946/47 drawings.
Both the fact that 0010I and 0020I have early design features are key points in the debate. This is compounded by the fact that Ferrari was very much trying to make money in these early periods, and couldn't afford to scrap a very usable and potent chassis.
Chassis
01C/010I - Displayed at Pebble in 2006, this is believed to be some of the original parts from 01C with a body manufactured by Ferrari's own Classiche program in 2006 to resemble the Piacenza roadster that debuted as Ferrari's first road car. As the story goes:
01C was raced and upgraded throughout the season in a campaign that included a drive by Nuvolari in the 1948 Mille Miglia. After suffering a small crash with Ferdinando Righetti before being restamped 0010I and sold to Dudley Folland as an upgraded Spider Corsa with its two liter engine. When the car reached Folland in England it was imported without body and a new cycle fender body was constructed. It was then restored in 1974 and made its way to Symbolic Motorcars where Bill Noon discovered that 010I in fact had been restamped from 01C by filling in the 'C' and adding a crude 'I'. While convincing everyone of this fact has been tough, many Ferrari Historians agree, although there is no proof on what the original 01C chassis looked like, or what changes happened when the car was restamped.
After comparing the chassis with early Gilco drawings Ferrari was convinced enough to manufacture a Piacenza roadster body for 0010I. The official restoration made its debut at the 2006 Pebble Beach concours.
02C - Debuting as a narrow cigar body, 02C was eventually rebodied along similar lines to the Piacenza roadster body. The engine changed from type 125 to 159 and it was later changed to full 166 Spider Corsa specification. There is speculation that it was restamped to 0020I.
source: http://www.supercars.net/cars/477.html
Sources & Further Reading
1. Colombo, Gioachino. Origins of Ferrari Legend. Haynes Publishing Group, 1987.
2. Muller, Michael and Nathan Beehl. 125 and 159. Ferrarichat.com. 2006.
3. Marzotto, Giannino.Red Arrows Ferraris at the Mille Miglia. Giorgio Nada Editore: 2001.
Specifications 620bhp, 4,993cc DOHC light alloy V-12, Lucas fuel injection five-speed transmission double wishbones and coil springs front and rear suspension four wheel hydraulic vented disc brakes Wheelbase: 2,400 mm (94.5 in.)
512S: The Legend
In 1968 the rules for sports car racing were changed, limiting Group 6 prototypes to a maximum engine capacity of 3.0 liters. For 1970, Ferrari decided to do what Porsche had done earlier with their 917, and, build 25 examples of a 5.0-liter car to allow homologation into the FIA’s Group 5 Sports Car category. Ferrari made the risky investment with the financial help of Fiat, and they intended to sell surplus cars to customers.
Ferrari’s 512S represented yet another attempt by a manufacturer to thwart the homologation rules laid down by the Commission Sportive Internationale. It was a practice the CSI was trying hard to avoid; manufacturers would build prototype racers, produce them in the required quantities and fit them with lights, horns and spare wheels, ostensibly to look like a road car. In reality the 512 was the fastest car that Ferrari had ever built, capable of in excess of 235 mph.
Assembly of the first new cars began at the end of 1969. The chassis was similar to the one used on the P4—a semi-monocoque design. The engine was a direct development of the 612 Can-Am series unit, now fitted with twin overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and Lucas indirect fuel injection. Initially it could produce 550 bhp at 8,500rpm. A year after initial production began, they made changes to improve reliability, lessen the weight and increase the power output. The engine could now produce 620 bhp at 9,000rpm.
The 512S was first introduced to the public at a press conference on November 6, 1969 outside the Gatto Verde (Green Cat) restaurant near Maranello. The chassis was a tubular steel space frame with stressed-alloy paneling around the cockpit area and once the design was complete, the Vaccari workshop in Modena was assigned the task of building the 25 chassis. Over the next three months, enough chassis were produced for homologation and soon after the qualifying inspection was made, several of the assembled cars were taken apart to be used as spares. Giacomo Caliri was given the job of designing the body and the firm of Cigala & Bertinetti from Turin was contracted to produce them. For the first time in Ferrari’s history, they were made from fiberglass and attached directly to the alloy-paneled center section of the car. The basic design concepts of the engine were Mauro Forghieri’s, but the detail work was carried out almost entirely by engineer Franco Rocci. Giancarlo Bussi was in charge of development work.
All of the completed chassis were originally built in berlinetta configuration. Almost immediately, the 512S began to undergo modification. The most noticeable change was the removal of the center section of the bodywork or roof panel. On April 1, an addendum was accepted by the FIA and written into the homologation papers noting the availability of a spyder version of the 512S.
The 512’s competition debut took place when five identical cars were lined up for the Daytona 24 Hour race on January 31, 1970. Three of the new 512s were official entries, customers entered two and all had been fitted with two substantial spoilers combined with fins and two deflectors on the front wings. Mario Andretti put the 512S on pole position, but in the race the Porsche 917s led throughout. Only one 512S survived the race, driven by Andretti, Arturo Merzario and Jackie Ickx. The car finished a remarkable third.
The 25 cars manufactured were given even chassis numbers from 1002 to 1050. Of those cars, 18 were raced in 1970, five of them spyders.
The Factory team used nine cars for international endurance racing. Scuderia Filipinetti and NART raced two cars each. Ecurie Francorchamps (Belgian importer of Ferrari), Escuderia Montjuich, Gelo Racing Team, Earl Cord Racing and Picchio Rosso raced one car each.
In the second race of the 1970 season, the 12-Hour Endurance race at Sebring, Mario Andretti, Nino Vaccarella and Ignazio Giunti won the race in their Ferrari 512S. Mario Andretti, determined not to be beaten by a movie star, drove an incredible final stint, narrowly beating Steve McQueen and Peter Revson in their Porsche 908 by just 22 seconds.
Later in the season, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there was an epic duel between Ferrari and Porsche, and it was this story that was told in the legendary movie Le Mans (also known as A French Kiss With Death”). Steve McQueen’s Solar Productions bought several 512Ss for the making of this film; one was destroyed during filming by Derek Bell. McQueen’s immortal line from the movie, “Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting,” endures to this day.
512M: The Inheritor
After Le Mans, the Mauro Forghieri-led development team started to work on a slimmed down and more powerful version of the 512S. Called the 512M (for modificato), the revised car produced 620 bhp at 9,000rpm and weighed 1,797 pounds, compared to the 512S spyder’s 1,887 pounds. Bodywork revisions included a more aerodynamic nose, and a large airbox mounted on top of the engine to force air into the intake trumpets. Further modifications included new rear bodywork, and no spyder version was made available. Fifteen of the 25 512Ss produced were converted to M-spec.
The Ferrari 512M was competitive out of the box. One was entered for Ickx and Giunti at the final race of the 1970 championship in Austria, in the 1000km at the Österreichring. The car suffered from fuel feed problems during qualifying, but with the problem solved in time for the race, Ickx lapped faster than the Porsche 917’s pole position qualifying time, with full tanks, in the opening laps. He continued to destroy the lap record, finally beating his own F1 record set two months earlier. Alternator problems eventually ended the race for the Ferrari 512M but for the first time in the 1970 season, the Porsches had been outpaced by quite some margin, and Ferrari had clearly proved that the development gap had finally been closed.
The next stop for Ickx and Giunti was the Kyalami 1000km race in South Africa. Although it was a non-championship round, Jo Siffert, who was the 1970 champion, and Kurt Ahrens, the runner-up, were entered in a works Porsche 917K. The Ferrari completely dominated, taking pole position and winning the race by two laps. In 1971 the 512M was campaigned by customer teams while the factory concentrated on the 3.0-litre 312PB. The 5.0-litre class was abandoned in 1972.
Of the 512s constructed, some were driven beyond their useful life and written off, others were destroyed in accidents. A fortunate few remained with private collectors, ex-racers and enthusiasts. As the desirability and collectability of these cars continued to rise, so did interest in owning them, with the result that many of the 512s that were written off have now reappeared, some having been rebuilt from the remains or parts of cars destroyed whilst racing. While 25 512s were supposed to have been constructed, only 22 actually were, and a mere 16 are believed to survive today. Just four remain in 512S configuration and only 12 in “M” spec.
source: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008/05/21/days-of-ferrari-2008-day-17-1971-ferrari-512m/ by David Travel Adolphus
Yeah, we know you've read otherwise, but bear with us and we'll explain.
The Ferrari 308GT4 was designed as a successor to--if not the replacement for--the 246GTB/S. But times had changed. The 246GT series was fashioned when Ferrari was independent--before emissions, safety, fuel economy and all the other sorts of social responsibilities were thrust upon the automotive industry.
Making offers the other can't refuse But on June 18, 1969, Enzo Ferrari met alone with Gianni Agnelli in his office, the two men agreeing to Fiat's purchase of 50 percent of Ferrari SpA's stock and the splitting of Ferrari into two division. The Riparto Corse, or racing division, would be under the direction of Enzo himself. The Riparto Industriale would be the production or GT division, and would be Fiat's responsibility.
The Dino 246GT had been announced in the spring of 1969 and the first prototypes of the V8 Dino hit the road in 1972, the same year that the Dino 246GTS debuted. At the same time, the Fiat Dinos, coupes by Bertone and spyders by Pininfarina, were in production. Then at the Paris Salon in October 1973, the new 308GT4 appeared. It was probably, as the dates suggest, the first full fruit of the Ferrari-Fiat union.
Most noticeable, of course, was the Bertone body. Some called it "sober." Sure, compared to the voluptuous 246 series. Yet the Ferrari 308GT4 was a pure, honest form, a wedge for which Triumph would later try--and fail. The functional scoops on the C-pillar added distinction without pretension. And for a four-seat mid-engine GT, it was a marvel of packaging. Within a 100.4-inch wheelbase, it included front and rear seats and a transverse-mounted 3.0-liter V-8 and five-speed transmission.
How about two-plus-one-point-five? The Ferrari 308GT4's back seat was to automotive journalists what the Obama administration is to Jay Leno--a source of humor. Even the most deadpan writer couldn't resist the total lack of rear legroom in the "2+2." The best that could be said is that it provided extra cargo capacity, especially since the rear trunk volume was only five cubic feet and the hold was mostly filled by the spare tire. But the Lamborghini Urraco and Maserati Merak, both of the same era as the GT4, also had similarly useless rear seats. But four seats at least recognized the wasteful hedonism of a two-seater, even if they didn't do anything about it.
The reason for choosing Bertone to style the Ferrari 308GT4 (the bodies were built by Scaglione) was never officially announced. Pininfarina had been, and continues to be for that matter, more or less the "house" stylist for Ferrari. Suggested reasons behind that choice of Bertone have included a full slate of work at Pininfarina; the influence of Fiat, a regular Bertone customer; Italian spontaneity; and probably several others. Take your pick. Note, however, that the 308GTB, introduced in 1976, came from Pininfarina.
The 3.0-liter V-8, meanwhile, acknowledged an anticipated decrease in power from emissions regulations, and was also meat to address the 246's lack of acceleration versus the Porsche 911, It was a first for Ferrari: a V8 in a GT car. What's more, it's double-overhead cams were driven by toothed belts instead of chains.
Ferrari math: 12 does not equal eight...but so what? But because Enzo Ferrari once said, "Real Ferraris have V12s" (never mind the very successful four-, six-, and eight-cylinder racing Ferraris), the new car was introduced at the Dino 308GT4, devoid of the Ferrari name or prancing horse logos. This changed, again without explanation, when real Ferrari logos turned up on the GT4, along with the Ferrari star-spoke alloy wheels. Of course, by that time the 308GT4 had arrived and was declared a Ferrari, eight cylinders or no. Dino scripts remained on the GT4's rear deck nonetheless. If you were meant to understand, you'd have been told.
The proof is in the pasta, however, and the Ferrari 308GT4 noodles right along like a true Ferrari. The award-winning 1975 Ferrari 308GT4 we drove (#11198) was all original, down to its rare avorio (ivory)-over-black two-tone paint and optional chin spoiler. It's enough to make one forget all that talk about tempermental exotics. Even with four two-throat Webers--one throat per cylinder--the 90-degree V-8 will pull evenly from 1000 rpm, if that's what you want.
Better to let it sing. Early Ferrari 308GT4s were rated at 240 hp, though strangled to 205 hp by emission rules later on. The car we drove was one of the more powerful early cars, and the performance belies the 3300-lb curb weight. One should never believe (older) Italian speedometers, and the seat of one's pants will be betrayed by the howl from the intake and exhaust ringing in one's ears. The Ferrari 308 GT4 accelerates to trip unemotional clocks at circa 15 seconds for the quarter mile and about 150 mph top speed--less for later cars.
Turn off to turn on Turn off the straight and boring for the Ferrari 308GT4 to corner with a predictable understeer going into turns with a weight shift to the rear powering out. The unassisted rack-and-pinion steering kicks back over bumps in corners enough to give feedback. And "cab forward"? Chrysler didn't invent it with the old Chrysler 300, Dodge Intrepid and Eagle Vision. The Ferrari 308GT4--thanks in part to that useless back seat--puts the driver in the nose almost as if he were in a sports-prototype racer. Legs are skewed towards the center to clear the front wheel tubs. And then there's the characteristic, and anachronistic, Ferrari gated shifter with the skinny steel lever.
In the aftermath of several racing disasters like Le Mans in 1955 and the Mille Miglia in 1957, it was apparent sports car racing rules needed to be tightened and the cars slowed.
A direct result was the limiting of sports racing car engines in the highest international class to 3.0 liters displacement in 1958. This change created a generation of sports racers that were somewhat smaller and nimbler than their predecessors.
John Lamm
Unlike some automakers, Ferrari was prepared. It already had its famed Gioacchino Colombo-designed 3.0-liter V-12 and even during the 1957 season was running a prototype of its 1958 racecar, the 250 Testa Rossa. The 250 signified that this was a 3.0-liter engine (250 cc per cylinder x 12 cylinders = 3.0 liters). The Testa Rossa is Italian for "red head," referring to the red crackle paint camshaft covers on the engine.
The "250 TR" in the Ralph Lauren collection bears chassis number 0734 and is the 14th of the 34 250 Testa Rossas built. What separates these Testa Rossas from other race cars is the sublime exterior design, which was created by Sergio Scaglietti. A modest man of humble beginnings, Scaglietti created many famous Ferrari designs just using his eye to get an amazing mix of efficiency and beauty. He eventually sold his business to Ferrari and the name Scaglietti is still seen on the factory where many Ferrari bodies are assembled.
John Lamm
Slim and graceful, the first 250 TR shape is best remembered for the cutouts behind the front wheels. In fact, Ferrari's factory race cars used this body configuration only for the first few races of 1958, then changed to a more conventional style. Still, Scaglietti continued to use the shape seen here for the TRs sold to the customers.
There were many privateers ready to step up, because the 250 Testa Rossa offered a blend of speed and reliability that made them successful most everywhere they raced. In fact, other than Aston Martin's success in 1959, Ferrari Testa Rossas, regardless of body style, dominated sports car racing through to the beginning of the mid-engine sports car era in the early 1960s.
his text originally appeared in the August 1984 issue ofRoad & Track Magazine.
Even among the best-remembered names in automotive history, a few stand out as truly special. Silver Ghost, XK-120, SSK, Twin-Six and possibly the best known of recent machinery, the GTO. There were two GTOs, of course, the original from Ferrari and the imitator from Pontiac. Though a comparison of the two is ludicrous, each was at the head of its class.
The Ferrari was developed for the Manufacturer's GT Championship, which it won in 1962, 1963 and 1964. Those of us involved with the real GTOs were incredulous that Pontiac would adopt the name for its muscle car. For one thing.Gran TurismoOmologatois Italian and Pontiac could at least have used the English form, “Grand Touring Homologated” or GTH. But then GTH doesn’t quite roll off the tongue in the same way.
Though Pontiac may now be light years away from automobiles like its GTO, Ferrari has a new one that very nicely updates the concept of the 1962 original and provides the sort of GT class-winning chassis the company hasn't had since the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. I had the opportunity to make a back-to-back comparison of the new and the original Italian GTOs at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in Italy. The 1962 GTO is chassis number 385 1GT and owned by Dr Fabrizio Violati of Rome. As a car that’s used for vintage race events, Violati’s GTO is a very good example of the first series of that model. The 1984 car is one of the first three made and is the initial development prototype.
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Two hundred GTOs will be built to meet FISA’s Group B homologation requirements. These are completely finished road cars that can even be fitted with an $1800 option package that includes an AM/FM radio/cassette, air conditioning and electric window lifts. Or you can buy your $83,400 GTO (in Italy, minus their taxes) without these options and prepare it for racing or rallying. Under Group B rules, Ferrari will also be allowed to a further 20 “evolutionary” examples that must maintain the same basic body shape and the 2420-lb minimum weight, but can be more fully developed as competition cars for the track or tarmac rallies such as the Tour de Corse.
Ferrari’s 308 GTB was used as a starting point for the GTO, but little remains of the production 308. Why even start with it? When the project began in 1982, time constraints and other practical considerations made it advantageous to begin with an established design. Besides, from a commercial standpoint the GTO will enhance the image of all 308s.
The GTO looks like a 308 GTB with fender flares, larger spoilers front and rear, tall outside mirrors, four extra driving lights in the grille and a more broad-shouldered, masculine appearance. Pininfarina, which designed the body for the 308, is also responsible for the GTO, refining the car’s aerodynamics in its wind tunnel. So often the original of a design has the most pure, lasting appeal, with subsequent variations rarely improving things. In this case, the opposite is true. In my opinion the GTO looks like the 308 I would have preferred right from the start. The new car—with its three slanted cooling slots, inherited from the earlier car but now on the rear fenders—has an altogether more business like look to it, form following function to an even greater degree than in the 308.
There are other differences between 308 and GTO than just reshaping, because the body panels of the GTO aren’t steel like the current GTB, but fiberglass as in the first few 308 GTBs. In addition, the hood is made of Kevlar, with the roof done in Kevlar with carbon fiber. Underneath the skin, the firewall has Kevlar, Nomex and aluminum honeycomb. This fiberglass-and-composite body offers the best strength for the least weight, but in the 20 evolutionary cars Ferrari will go still further with more composite panels, using up the minimum weight in other ways, possibly as a roll cage or dry-sump system.
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Under this lightweight body is a completely new all-steel tube frame made necessary by both the GTO’s purpose and new drivetrain layout. Though theoretically it’s an option, each GTO will have a roll bar. Suspension doesn't change in principle, both ends having systems based on upper and lower A-arms with coil springs/Koni shocks and anti-roll bars. The suspension arms are of tubular steel. Quite naturally there are ventilated disc brakes at each wheel. The tires are Goodyear’s Eagle VR50 type, 225/50VR-16s at the front and 265/50VR-16s at the back, mounted on modular alloy wheels, not quite so romantic perhaps as the Borrani wire wheels on the original GTO, but a great deal more functional. No more long panicky pit stops with broken spoke ends jamming wheels on during an otherwise straight forward change. Steering is by rack and pinion. All these chassis pieces are subject to change, of course, with the evolutionary GTOs and for customer racing cars.
Nice as all these changes might be, the true soul of this new GTO, just as in the original, is the engine. Ferrari purists will probably moan that this GTO doesn't have a V12, and I admit that the sound of the 1962 GTO may be more exciting than the turbocharged V8 of the new car. but that’s the only point of superiority I'm willing to concede.
The GTO’s V8 is in the more orthodox longitudinal position rather than the 308's transverse location. The reasons for this start with the plumbing for the turbocharging system. It would have been a white-hot nightmare routing the exhaust from the bulkhead side. But the configuration is also simple and offers a more proven layout that can be quickly and easily serviced (including gear ratio changes) in the rush of competition, even more critical in rallying than racing.
Needless to say, turning the engine 90 degrees used more space than was available in the standard 308 wheelbase, which is now increased 4.3 inches. to 96.5 inches.
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Ferrari has based the engine block and heads of the GTO on those from the production 308, while the turbocharging/induction system is inspired by the Formula 1 program. Displacement is 2855 cc—just 72 cc less than the 308—with a bore and stroke of 80.0 x 71.0 mm (3.15 by 2.80 in.), so it’s essentially a turbocharged 308. The capacity is dictated by FISA, which rules that the displacement times the turbo factor of 1.4 cannot exceed 4000 cc for the GTO’s class; with the GTO that works out to an equivalent of 3997 cc. And Ferrari has used it very effectively, getting 400 bhp at 7000 rpm and 366 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm. In competition form we could probably expect something on the order of an additional 100 bhp.
All this begins with the aluminum block and twincam, 4-valve heads of the production 308, appropriately modified for their new job. The cylinder liners are still of nickel-treated aluminum, with new pistons for the 7.6:1 compression ratio, lower than the 9.2:1 of the European 308 Quattrovalvole. These pistons are now cooled with an oil spray from beneath, and the crankshaft has been redesigned to accommodate greater loads.
The most important engine difference is the turbocharging system. The twin turbos are from the Japanese firm IHI and were chosen for their minimal inertia. One of the aims of the V8 design was to keep the power band wide and flexible for city and high-speed use. The quick spool-up of a pair of turbos versus one large one helps reduce undesirable lag. The 11.3-psi maximum boost is kept in check by a standard wastegate.
Controlling the fuel and ignition of the V8 is an electronic system developed by Weber and Marelli, the same firms that did the same jobs non-electronically on the original GTO’s V12. Sensors take such inputs as coolant temperature, boost and ignition advance, run them through an onboard computer and use the results to regulate fuel flow and ignition timing. A similar system was used by the Ferrari FI team at the Brazilian Grand Prix this year. This V8 can easily be seen as a pair of inline four-cylinder engines, each with its own induction, turbocharger, ignition system and air-to-water intercooler from Behr, which makes the intercoolers for Ferrari's GP cars.
A new five-speed gearbox was designed for the GTO and, in GP racing fashion, it’s to the rear of the differential. Behind the engine is an 8.5-inch two-plate clutch. The clutch shaft goes rearward past the ring gear to the end of the drivetrain. There, a pair of quick-change idler gears transmit the power to the gearbox, then forward to the differential. This design allows the engine to be placed 2.7 inches lower in the chassis, dropping the center of gravity and aiding in improving roadholding.
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On first seeing the horsepower and torque figures for the GTO V8. it doesn't seem we’re getting two decades of progress over the 3.0-liter, 300-hp V12 of the 1962 GTO. However, one must remember that the original GTO, with all its flexibility from quite low revs, still developed its power over a very narrow band. This new car, on the other hand, with slightly less displacement (and turbocharged, of course) gets another 100 hp and a much higher torque figure over a broader range. In fact, it's amazing what kind of work this engine will do at even 3500 revs. At that rpm, for example, the new engine has already developed 85 percent of the maximum power available in the original GTO and it just gets better from there. At both 6000 and 7500 rpm, the V8 is developing about 98 percent of its maximum power, the figure of 400 hp coming roughly halfway between these engine speeds.
It’s obvious the new GTO is a turbocharged car because of the disproportionate increase in power one senses as the revs mount. At the same time, it’s remarkably free of the bothers so many high-performance turbo cars have today, such as slow initial throttle response, followed by an unwanted rush of excess power. The GTO just takes off headed for such intermediate times as 5.0 seconds to 60 mph, 11.0 seconds to 100 mph and on to the factory’s claimed top speed of 305 km/h (189 mph). The progressiveness of the GTO’s flow of power and its remarkable control are as good or better than anything I’ve ever experienced. In the lower gears, for example, on twisty roads up to 80 mph or so, the fact that the engine gains an additional 240 hp between 2500 and 5500 rpm could make things quite uncomfortable. The trick here is to simply poke it into the next higher gear and use larger throttle openings. This not only gives you a wider range of conditions under which power is available, but also tends to diminish any abruptness. One of the most delightful aspects of the car is that despite the added horsepower and greater mid-range torque, the GTO has a light, nimble feel and not the heavy, intimidating nature of, say, a Boxer or Countach.
To go with this lovely engine is road-holding of a very high order. The grip of the car on the road is phenomenal and noticeably increases with speed. In fact, it's difficult to induce unwanted oversteer in any gear. On the very slowest turns, such as a hairpin where the tendency is for the front end to push, power oversteer can be used to good advantage, but with little fear of spinning the car. In fact, few cars I have driven can be gotten so far around and still be considered under control. Even though at Fiorano it’s difficult to do any truly high-speed cornering, it’s not hard to imagine what this machine would be like at Le Mans ... stable through the kink on the Mulsanne Straight and fast through the turn before Indianapolis, yet still able to storm through the twisty bit before the Ford Chicane. Unfortunately, rain the night before our test session left Fiorano’s skidpad a reflecting pool—good only for pondering the GTO’s quantitative handling potential. Further, the circuit’s narrowness (and the proximity of its expensive timing lights that outline the surface about every 30 feet) prohibited our usual slalom test. However, we’ll have an opportunity soon to perform these tests and report the results.
The GTO’s steering is light and precise, but, of course, the car isn’t that heavy relative to other ultra high performance automobiles. A track like Fiorano puts tremendous demands on a car’s brakes and the GTO’s proved to be of the same high order as the rest of the package. Indeed, our 240-foot stopping distance from 80 mph is among the very best we’ve ever recorded. The 1962 GTO, good as it was in its day, has quite heavy steering and braking, and a comparison with the new GTO is unfair.
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All this is accomplished from an interior that's the essence of luxury compared with the spartan GTO of 1962. Our Sebring class-winning car that year didn’t even have a dashboard per se, while the “production" GTO of 1984 has comfortable leather seats, a carpeted floor and even a complete stereo system. And the instruments—a tachometer, speedometer and gauges for turbo boost, oil pressure, coolant temperature and fuel level—are set in a proper dashboard.
So there are the two decades of progress. In total, the new GTO is miles ahead of its 22-year-old predecessor in performance. And yet it offers the option of air conditioning and Leoncavallo’sPagliacciin full stereo. The potential of the 20 evolutionary GTOs should raise the name even higher up the automotive honor roll. As pleased as I am to see Ferrari competing strongly in F1, I’m delighted they will once again have a Gran Turismo car with true competition potential. That’s what the name GTO meant in the first place.
