MYTHICAL CARS YOU CAN OWN IN SLOT FORM : «Glorious Group 5: Ferrari 512 BB LM»

Dear reader, we continue with the Group 5 saga started in the previous article. We are going to look at a generation of racing cars that by their spectacular presence, technical characteristics and worldwide relevance, marked an era.

What kind of racecar was the Ferrari BB512LM?

The Ferrari 512BB was a revolution in Ferrari, and a demonstration of Ferraris technical capacity when it came to a new concept that broke some of the brand’s conventions for several reasons. On the one hand, the adoption of a central engine instead of a front one; on the other, very refined aerodynamics for the time, and a futuristic design signed of course, by Pininfarina.

The competition version developed its activity in the Le Mans GT category (hence the name LM). Its creation was mainly due to Luigi Chinneti, Italian-American businessman, founder of the NART team, who convinced Ferrari to develop this racing version. Of course, these BB512LM never competed as official vehicles. Anyway, from what is deduced from various articles on the internet, the factory became more involved in its development, given that in the first attempts of private equipment, the results didn’t meet the initial expectations.

Sporting success?

It had an appreciable track record in the IMSA GTX category, highlighting a second position in the 1980 Silverstone 6 hours and a third position in the Le Mans 24 hours of the same year. In 1981 they took first and third place at Le Mans, followed by another third position the following year. Thus, it can be said that the effort invested by Ferrari in helping private teams paid off.

There is an excellent article from my point of view, dedicated to the history of the BB 512LM, with an assortment of spectacular photos, and from what you see, quite well documented, which I recommend if you are interested in the history of this respectable sports car. The article is from Autolegends: http://autolegends.es/la-historia-del-ferrari-512-bb-lm/

What is this slot version like?

This jewel from Sideways, comes in line with the rest of its range, with an elaborate chassis – cradle AW engine set with the Slot.it Flat 6 engine, and an 11/28 ratio. The range of liveries available for this car are faithful to the racing history of this car, with the usual assembly quality and attention to fine detail.

What other slot versions are there available?

In addition to Sideways, we can access other versions of the 512 BB LM through well-known brands such as Carrera, Flyslot and MMK. The names Carrera and Flyslot offer qualities that are already known to those already initiated in this hobby; irreproachable image, and that will require some work if we want a superior dynamic performance.

On the other hand, the MMK one is worth mentioning for those interested in versions with historical and / or particular value, since it corresponds to a specific version that a private team (Bellancauto) developed in its day, seeking to improve the aerodynamics. This MMK product, made in France, is based on Slot.it mechanics.