Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer / 365 GT4 BB / BB 512 / BB 512i

CAR: #Ferrari-512BB / #Ferrari-512 / #Ferrari / #1979-Ferrari-512BB / #Berlinetta-Boxer / #Ferrari-BB / #Ferrari-Berlinetta-Boxer

Year of manufacture #1979
Recorded mileage 15,811
Asking price £325,000
Vendor Foskers, Brands Hatch, Kent; tel: 01474 874555; www.foskers.com

WHEN IT WAS NEW
Price £35,100 (1980)
Max power 355bhp
Max torque 333lb ft
0-60mph 5.5 secs
Top speed 172mph
Mpg 14

This very sharp Boxer was supplied by Maltins of Henley, its warranty card is signed by Innes Ireland and the door shut bears John Surtees’ signature. Circa 2004, at only 15,500 miles, it was taken apart by its owner – then stayed in bits until Foskers collected the kit in 2015 and reassembled it. Which means that the mileage, confirmed by old MoTs, is genuine.

It had been resprayed when Foskers acquired it, and it was rebuilt with refinished suspension components, new consumables including dampers plus brake pipes, and the original leather, which was hardly worn. The result is almost like a new one, with perfect paint. The alloys are slightly crazed under the new finish, and a perfectionist might do them again. They’re shod with undated XWXs with cracking sidewalls, which could be the originals. Inside, the headlining and dash top are perfect, the seats only lightly used and the carpets look new, though they’re probably the factory items.

The motor was stripped, inspected and rebuilt at a cost of £7500 by specialist Bob Houghton in 2004, and has covered almost zero miles since. Unusually for one of these, there are no leaks or stains around the carbs. The fuel pipes and plug leads are new; exhausts are fresh stainless steel.

You never tire of looking down the valley of the front wings past that amazing pantograph wiper. Two pumps and it catches almost as soon as it whirrs over. It’s unintimidating to drive, with a relatively easy gearchange.

Once warm, temperature settles at 175ºF and holds steady when parked, though it doesn’t like to idle for long. Remarkably, it starts easily from hot, too. Oil pressure is just under 70psi with a little more at revs, the aircon tries its best and both electric windows worked when we left Scratcher’s Lane, though the right switch is intermittent. The slight steering play goes on the move, the brakes are firm and pull up straight – but the best bit is opening it up through the gears and enjoying that mighty flat-12 sound.

It will come with the original books, jack, spacesaver and new MoT plus three-month warranty and fresh tyres – not to drive this marvellous old dinosaur would be a waste, but the old Michelins will be saved for concours.

SUMMARY

EXTERIOR Perfect, superbly resprayed in #Blu-Dino-Metallizzato
INTERIOR Factory fresh and barely worn
MECHANICALS Few miles on rebuilt motor

VALUE ★★★★★★★✩✩✩
For Like a new one, and goes like it
Against The alloys, if you’re picky

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Foskers can’t understand why no one has, because it must be an almost unique propostion. Not the priciest 512BB on the market, but still only half as much as a Daytona.

CAR: #Ferrari-365GT4-Berlinetta-Boxer / #Ferrari-365GT4-BB / #Ferrari-365GT4 / #Ferrari-365-BB / #Ferrari / #Ferrari-Berlinetta-Boxer / #Ferrari-BB /
Name Paul David Maudsley
Age 45
Occupation Watch specialist at Phillips auction house
Location Kent
First classic Porsche 914
Dream classic Ferrari 250LM
Daily driver Porsche 911
Best trip London to Anglesey

FULFILLING THAT BOYHOOD DREAM

My first sighting of a #Berlinetta-Boxer was as a 12-year-old boy. The memory became etched into my mind and led me on a long path to ownership. I can still picture it now, with its bonnet and engine cover both up in the air. It was the first time I’d seen such a car in the metal, and it looked like a spaceship to me.

There were other iconic cars of the late 1970s and ’80s that I dreamt of owning, including the Countach and Testarossa, but something about the BB – from the shape to the incredible engine sound – made it stand out. Like most young boys at the time, I never really felt that I would one day actually own one.

My love of classics has always been with me, through art college and university. I followed auctions, bought my monthly fix of magazines and tried to get to as many car events as possible. After settling in London, and with space at a premium, I thought that I’d never own my own classic. But then in 1997, I purchased my first – a ’1971 Porsche 914. It was a wonderful car and I kept it for four years until a house move meant that it had to go. With much regret I sold it, but I’m now looking for another.

London life doesn’t lend itself to the storage and care of a classic car, but when I moved to the country I had the space and a garage. I could consider looking for another great car. I got my first Ferrari, a Dino 308GT4, and after three years I felt that the time had come to hunt for the best BB that I could find.

Research is important to me and, for six months, I hit the books, forums and auctions, searching for the right vehicle. In the spring of 2013 I placed a deposit on a restoration project, but after a few months I got a call from the seller saying that the car had been involved in a fire at the workshop, so that fell through. Then, in late summer I saw a car that I knew from the forums, which was for sale with James Henderson – a man with a great eye for Italian classics.

It was a 365GT4 BB, the earliest variant, and had been delivered in June #1974 . After a three-hour journey to view the car, plus an unforgettable test drive, the deposit was down. Thirty years or so after that first sighting, the exciting moment of being handed the keys to my own car was almost here.

I agreed to part-exchange my 308GT4 in the deal, so a week later we met halfway between Kent and north Norfolk for the handover. That happened to be at a motorway service station, and I can remember the joy of seeing the BB parked up and James waiting for me. Great emotions. The drive home in any new car is memorable, but to be in the Ferrari I’d dreamt of for more than 30 years was extra special.

The BB was originally supplied by Maranello Concessionaires and finished in #Blu-Dino-Metallizzato , the colour I’d always wanted, but had been repainted ‘resale red’ so I planned a bare-metal respray to take it back to the factory colour.

People usually ask me how often I drive it, and my answer is “as often as possible”. I believe all cars should be used, no matter what values are placed on them. The thrill I get from hearing the engine behind me while on a spirited run is far greater than seeing it motionless.

I’ve had some wonderful runs in the BB, including to Cornwall and north Wales, often accompanied by friends – one in his Iso Grifo, the other in an Alfa Montreal. Three very different cars but all equally enjoyed and cared for by us.

The Ferrari is comfortable on country lanes, motorways or even trips to the local shops. It has always performed and never let me down. Long may that continue.

Gorgeous Pininfarina lines of the #365GT4 Berlinetta Boxer ensnared Maudsley as a lad, and continue to do so three decades later.

Stylish cabin is set off by #Blu-Dino-paint . With friends’ Iso Grifo and Alfa Montreal. Front and rear clamshells raised, exactly how Maudsley remembers seeing his first Boxer.