In 1971, Ferrari introduced the evolved 512 M, the M denoting ‘Modificata’.
Only around 15 cars of the 25 512 S were upgraded to M specification. The radical transformation centred predominantly around the closed coupé glass-fibre bodywork, which was drastically reworked in the wind tunnel at Stuttgart University. That the angular new frock and stark Kamm tail was more than a little reminiscent of the Porsche 917 K was perhaps of little surprise given the Germans’ performance throughout the 1970 season.
Chassis 1002 was a 1970 Ferrari 512 S Spyder originally painted yellow with a green stripe. It was sold to Spanish industrialist and gentleman driver Jose Maria Juncadella, whose wealthy Catalan family were owners of a major textile concern.
Juncadella ran his 512 under the Escuderia Montjuich banner. He frequently employed factory co-drivers like Peter Schetty, Arturo Merzario and Nino Vaccarella as well as his brother-in-law, Alex Soler-Roig, on one occasion. An ever-present competitor in chassis 1002 throughout both its 1970 and 1971 campaigns. Although chassis 1002 often failed to finish during 1970, it picked up a couple of second place finishes at Montlhery towards the end of the year and won its class in the Paris 1000km. While still in S-trim, the car then scored a fifth overall and third in class at the Buenos Aires 1000km World Championship race in January 1971.
Juncadella subsequently had the car uprated to M-trim between the races at Daytona and Brands Hatch. It was transformed into a yellow Berlinetta with red stripes.
In this configuration, chassis 1002 picked up a fifth overall and third in class at Brands Hatch. The car raced to a P05 during the Imola Interserie. Undoubtedly the car’s most significant result during 1971 came at the gruelling Tour de France in September. Juncadella, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Jean-Claude Guenard finished second behind a works Matra MS650 and claimed victory in the over three-litre GT/S category.
Jose Maria Juncadella retired 1002 at the end of the season as five-litre sports cars were made obsolete by a three-litre engine limit brought in to reduce speeds. The Ferrari was sold to English collector, Robert Horne, in October 1974. Horne had 1002 maintained by well-known marque specialist, Bob Houghton (initially of Graypaul Motors). Immaculately prepared but never raced during Robert Horne’s 35-year ownership, chassis 1002 was used to set a British Land Speed Record in 1977 when Horne achieved 192mph over a flying mile.
In 2009, the car got owned by Dieter Roschmann from Germany thanks to Bob Houghton. He brought the car to some historic events, including the 2010 and 2012 Le Mans Classic.
In 2016 it was sold by Fisken to Carlos Monteverde for more than 12 million euro.
But in 2016 there was also a replica, built by Roelofs Engineering, chassis by Nijland Las & Montage in Haaksbergen. May be chassis 1030 ( originally painted red) but now Painted 1002 style.
Chassis 1008 was one of two 512 S Berlinettas sold to Swiss Ferrari distributor, Georges Filipinetti, in 1970. Both were painted red with a white and pale blue centre stripe. Along with its sister car (chassis 1016), the 512s were used for Scuderia Filipinetti’s 1970 World Sportscar Championship campaign. This comprised a single car entry for most of the European rounds and a three-car attack at Le Mans (where the Scuderia Picchio Rosso 512 also attended in Filipinetti colours).
Aside from its outing at Le Mans, chassis 1008 raced just once during the Nürburgring 1000km driven by Mike Parkes and Herbert Muller. They finished the race fourth overall and second in the Group 5 class. Jo Bonnier and Reine Wisell were brought in to drive 1008 in LeMans. All cars did not finish the race.
After Le Mans, the two Filipinetti long tails were repaired and sold to Solar Productions for the Steve McQueen movie Le Mans. In December 1970, Solar Productions sold four of their quintet of 512s to Herbert Muller in Switzerland. As well as 1008, the batch included 1004, 1016, 1036 and 1044.
Muller had 1008 uprated to the latest M specification in Maranello.
The now plain red Rolanaflor-backed car was leased by Giampiero Moretti for an appearance at the 1971 Monza 1000km. Co-driven by Teodoro Zeccoli, 1008 qualified 13th and finished eighth overall (fifth in the Group 5 class). The car sat unused between May and June before making its final appearance at the big money Norisring Interserie race in mid July. Muller drove chassis 1044 while he persuaded F1 and Gulf Porsche star, Pedro Rodriguez, to drive 1008.Unfortunately, the race ended in disaster. Having qualified second, Rodriguez was challenging Chris Craft’s Group 7 McLaren M8E for the lead when backmarker, Kurt Hild, edged the Mexican into the wall while being lapped. The Ferrari burst into flames upon impact and Rodriguez died shortly after being extracted from the extinguished wreck. 1008 was destroyed in the accident.
There is a replica owned by John Goodman, Seattle, USA
Chassis 1018 was the 512 S Berlinetta sold new to wealthy German property developer, Georg Loos. Based in Cologne, Loos started racing seriously aged 25 with a Porsche 910 in 1968. For the 1969 season, he acquired a Porsche 911 T. A Porsche 914 and his Ferrari 512 arrived for 1970.
Chassis 1018 was painted Loos’ signature red and gold colour scheme. Its first outing was at the Brands Hatch 1000km World Sportscar Championship race on April 12th. However, having qualified the car 19th, there were insufficient wet weather tyres for the deluge that occurred just before the race which meant Loos and his co-driver, Franz Pesch, failed to start.
A week later, Loos and Pesch were back behind the wheel for the non-championship Zolder 500km. They qualified on pole and won the 120 lap race in a time of just under three-and-a-half hours. This good result in Belgium was followed up with a failure to qualify for the Monza 1000km World Championship race. Loos then posted a DNF in a minor race at Zolder before 1018 headed to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Loos was joined at la Sarthe by Helmut Kelleners. They qualified 18th and initially ran well. At around 9pm though (five hours in), Kelleners thumped the barrier at the Esses while trying to avoid a spinning car. Although 1018’s nose was beyond repair, the works Ferrari team lent them one of their own which was grafted on during a long stop. Unfortunately, soon after 10pm, Kelleners brought the ill-handling car in and refused to drive it any further. Loos went out for a couple of laps, agreed and 1018 was retired.
After Le Mans, Georg Loos sent 1018 back to Ferrari for repair and conversion to the lighter Spyder configuration. In its new body style, Loos / Pesch posted a pair of DNFs at Watkins Glen which Loos followed up with his third Zolder win of the year. Loos / Pesch then had their best World Championship result of 1970 when they claimed seventh overall and third in class at the Zeltweg 1000km. 1018’s final outing of the year was the Paris 1000km at Montlhery. It qualified seventh but failed to finish as a result of gearbox trouble.
At the end of the 1970 season, Georg Loos sent 1018 back to Maranello for conversion to the latest M specification. This also meant the body was returned to Berlinetta configuration. For 1971 it was raced alongside Loos’ new McLaren M8E Group 7 car.
The now red and yellow-striped machine made its first appearance of the year at the annual Le Mans Test weekend where Loos posted sixth quickest time. With Franz Pesch, he then contested the three hour race that the organisers had arranged. Whilst in the lead, 1018 ran out of fuel. Georg Loos entered the 512 M for two major World Championship races in 1971: the Nürburgring 1000km (P 09) and the Le Mans 24 Hours (DNF hour 6, blown piston). Chassis 1018 was also entered for four Interserie races in 1971. Best results were sixth for Pesch at the Norisring and Hockenheim. Loos claimed seventh at Imola. The Ferrari’s final race of 1971 was at the Paris 1000km, again a DNF.
For 1972, Loos purchased a new Porsche 911 ST and a McLaren M8F. The now surplus-to-requirements 512 was sold to noted Ferrari collector, Pierre Bardinon of Aubusson, France. Bardinon retained the car for around 20 years.
In 1991 it became for a short while owned by Mike Sheehan from Costa Mesa,USA before passing on to Swiss Engelbert Stieger. Patrick Stieger raced the car in numerous historical events in Europe. This until 2013.
In 2024 the car is maintained at at Autofficina Bonini Carlo, Cadelbosco di Sopra, Reggio Emilia in Italy.
The owner of the Italian privateer racing outfit Scuderia Brescia Corse, Dr. Alfredo Belponer, acquired this 512 new, as evidenced by the Ferrari factory invoice, numbered 1068/71. In addition to the car, priced at a princely 27m Italian lire, Belponer also bought 15m-lire’s worth of spare parts and tyres totaling 4m lire.
This car did his first race in the 1000 km Monza in April 1970 driven by “PAM”and Carlo Facetti. They did not qualify. Pam then entered the car in the Interserie in Imola and Zolder (P09). Together with Mario Casoni he ended the 1000 km at the Osterreichring in fourth place. This was followed by some decent results in the interserie, a P05 at the Norisring and P08 in Imola. After a DNF in the 1000 km Paris, PAM won the Malegno-Borno hillclimb.
Chassis number 1024 was honourably retired at the end of 1971. Belponer kept hold of the car for two more years, selling to the West Coast of America in 1974. It didn’t stay across the pond for long – by 1975, the Ferrari had been acquired by Dr. Jean Aussenac in Paris. Aussenac was not afraid to use this 512 M as intended, exhibiting it at a number of Club Ferrari France meetings at the famous Mas du Clos racetrack in Saint-Avit-de-Tardes.
Fellow Parisian and the father of Asterix and Obelix Albert Uderzo became chassis 1024’s next custodian in 1981. He continued to share the car throughout his 16-year tenure as owner, including at Ferrari’s 40th-anniversary celebrations at Spa-Francorchamps in 1987.
This Ferrari made the journey back across the Atlantic in 1997, briefly joining the collection of Charles Arnott, before being bought by Ed and Leslie Davies in Florida. The Davies are among the world’s foremost Ferrari enthusiasts and collectors. It is said they payed 1.8 million dollars for it. the car could be seen in numerous Ferrari historic events
In 2008, RM Auctions staged its momentous Leggenda e Passione sale at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, comprising a mouth-watering collection of Ferrari automobilia and cars. The car was sold for $3,234,275 to the American banking magnate and classic car collector Harry Yeaggy.Not long after that it changed hands once again, winding up in the stable of its penultimate owner, Steven Read, in California, alongside such special Ferrari competition cars as a 312 PB and a 250 LM.The new owner repainted the car in the Scuderia Filipinetti colours and was seen in the Le Mans Classic 2010 and 2012.
In 2021, chassis 1024 returned to Europe, where it remained on display in an exquisite collection until the spring of 2023.
In 2023 it was offered for sale by Girardo and seen on the Retromobil show in 2024. It was bought by David Hart (NL).
1971 Chassis 1024 in the 1000 km Austria
In 1970, this car raced in the 1000 km Spa and Le Mans in 1970 ( DNF, lap7). When it was converted to the M-spec it was bought by Herbert Müller. Together with Rene Herzog, he raced the car in the endurance championships in 1971 with a P04 in Brands Hatch and P06 in Monza as the best result. He brought the car to the Norisring Interserie, but withdrawn from the second heat dur to the accident of Pedro Rodriguez. After that, he entered the car in some CanAm races in the USA and the 9h of Kyalami. Müller committed to the Interserie championship in 1972. In the Nürburgring he severely damaged the car in a first lap accident.
In may 1973, the car was back with a win in a race at Hockenheim and Dijon. Later in the year, there were again two wins in races at the Hockenheimring. He entered the car also in some interserie races and some hillclimb events.In 1974 and 1975 Müller entered the car again in the Intersrie for Cox Kocher, Manfred Shurti, Mario Casoni and Heinrich Keller.
At the end of his racing career, the car was sold to Albert Obrist and in 1979 to German Hartmut Ibing and later to Fabrizio Violati from Roma, who had a large collection of “Maranello Rosso”cars.
The car reappeared in the hand of SMC, La Jolla, CA, USA and in 1999 by Gregor Fisken. It was finally John Bosch (Netherlands) who bought the car for more than a million dollars. He raced the car at different historic events. It was on display at the Retromobile Paris in 2012 bearin the nr 1 and the Rolanflor sticker.
Due to a strike in Italy, the preparations for chassis 1032 were delayed so Corrado Manfredini got in April 1971 a brand new car, chassis 1050 already in M-specifications. He also got some mechanical parts from the 1032 chassis.
The car immediately was entered in the 1000 km Monza with a DNF result. In may he entered the car under the Scuderia Filipinetti banner in the interserie race at Imola. Again back to the endurance championship: a DNF at Spa, but also in the 24 hours race of Le Mans; he raced with Giancarlo Gagliardi. In the 500 km Imola Interserie, he finished 17th overall.
At the end of the year , the car became in the possession of Gaetan Tortora (France) and later Prince Sangusko ( France). He kept the car until his death in 1992.
Via Jean Guikas, the car came in 1995 in the possession of Claude and Marc Caveng, Switserland. It was seen and raced in historic events.
In 2022, it was in the pits at the “Sport et collection” meeting in Switserland. It is still painted in the Filipinetti colours and with blue wheel rims.
