Listings

When Ferrari debuted the Berlinetta Boxer to replace the iconic Daytona in 1971, it was a revolutionary step forward. It was the first mid-engine Ferrari road car, and following hot on the heels of the Lamborghini Miura, one of the first mid-engined sports cars on the market. Unfortunately it was never homologated for the North American market, but every rule has its exceptions. And this is one of them.

After replacing the 4.4-liter flat-12 in the initial 365 GT4/BB with the 5.0-liter unit in the 512 BB, Ferrari got back into the endurance sports racing game with the 512 BB/LM. Of only 25 examples made, only 19 saw race action – 14 of those at LeMans – including this particular example. One of the last to be made, this boxer was commissioned by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART).

Chassis 35527’s bodywork features a longer tail to go with the extended nose of the existing 512 BB/LM – whose Pininfarina styling was aped by the 365 GT Speciale we reported on recently – and an engine tuned up to 560 horsepower to push a chassis parred down to less than 2,500 lbs. The transmission was also beefed up in response to the breakdowns suffered by previous examples, which unfortunately didn’t prevent this car’s gearbox from giving up the ghost at the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans while running 3rd overall – not just in its class – close to the end of the race.

This piece of Ferrari Racing History is currently undergoing a complete restoration in our facility. Enjoy the gallery and check in with us for updates!

One of just 99 330 GTS’s built, chassis #9781 was completed by the factory in April 1967 as a U.S.-specification example. It was delivered new through Luigi Chinetti Motors in Greenwich, Connecticut to its first owner, Gerald Martin, of New York City later that year. Finished in the seldom seen and highly desirable shade of Nocciola (19397) over a Nero Franzi interior, the car was retained in Mr. Martin’s ownership for the next nine years before its sale back to Chinetti.

In 1976 Jim Hughes of Alamo, California purchased the car from Chinetti. The vehicle was shipped across the country to Hughes and remained with him until June 1983 when he sold the car to Glen Burkett who was also a resident of Alamo, CA. At that time, the car was noted as being refinished in yellow. The car was shown by Burkett at the 1984 Ferrari Owners’ Club International Meeting and Concours in Carmel Valley, California.

Burkett retained ownership of the vehicle for the next 20 years, occasionally showing it at concours events.  At the Meadow Brook Hall Concours d’Elegance in August 1997,  the vehicle earned First in Class! Burkett sold the car in the early-2000s to its fourth owner, Ron Yagoda, of Scottsdale, Arizona. Yagoda owned the car for four years, after which it was owned by Frank Boucher, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before being acquired by its current owner.

In 2015, the vehicle was transported to our facility and began a thorough restoration.