You think all, or most, Ferrari’s only look good in their traditional red colour? That’s for sure but there are some exceptions like Roger Penske’s blue 512M from the year 1971. The Sunoco-dyed Ferrari proto is certainly one of the most beautiful from that period and we came across it at the 2017 Festival of Speed.
The year 1970 was supposed to be the great confrontation between the Porsche 917 and the Ferrari 512S in the World Brands Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, things turned out completely differently as the prancing horse from Maranello had to give way to the other thoroughbreds from Stuttgart. Ferrari can only win the 12 Hours of Sebring, Porsche wins all the other races including, and this for the first time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 512S will, after this season, no longer be used by the Scuderia Ferrari team and a number of cars will be offered to private teams. Ferrari will, however, make some updates to it for the 1971 season and it will be renamed the 512M from “modificato” or adapted/changed in our language.
Roger Penske’s team had been active in endurance racing for prototypes since 1969. For this it had a Lola T70 MK3 in the colours of the American oil producer Sunoco. The programme consisted of three races: 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Penske’s house driver Mark Donohue wins the 24 hours of Daytona with Charlie Parons immediately in their debut. The second race in Sebring, however, is cancelled due to a suspension fracture, and things get even worse as the Lola is stolen from the Penske transporter during the drive home. The planned trip to Le Mans is thus cancelled.
In 1970, Roger Penske met with Kirk F. White, the largest dealer of exclusive sports cars in the USA and especially of Ferrari. Plans are made for a cooperation with the program Daytona/Sebring/Le Mans. Penkse wants to buy a Porsche 917 but Kirk absolutely wants a Ferrari and buys a second hand 512S with chassisnumber 1040 which was used, without much success, in the CANAM races in the USA and Canada. Penske will then take care of all the other aspects like pilots, preparation and participation in the races. The open 512S had to be converted to a closed version. Penske also ordered the necessary parts to make the 512S a 512M. In addition to this update Penske will make a number of changes to make the Ferrari faster. The aerodynamics will be improved with a custom design of the rear wing to increase downforce. Oil company Sunoco will again be sponsoring the car and the dark blue Ferrari looks breathtaking in its new appearance.
24h DAYTONA
The team is ready for the first race in Daytona. For these 24 hours, there is a rather impressive field of participants. Two Gulf Porsche 917s, two Martini 917s and five other Ferrari’s 512M and S will compete against the Penske Ferrari. In qualifying, Mark Donohue puts the Sunoco Ferrari on pole position. His time is nine seconds faster than Mario Andretti with the 512S twelve months ago! The four factory Porsches can only watch and follow in the next four places. They don’t understand why this Ferrari is so fast. Donohue will also lead the first thirteen laps of the races. Afterwards, team mate David Hobbs takes over. Problems with the fuel pump, which has to be replaced twice, and an accident during the night cause many laps to be lost. But the other competitors are not spared either and the Ferrari climbs back up the rankings. It is the Gulf Porsche of Rodriguez and Oliver that, despite gearbox problems, crosses the finish line first ahead of the Ferrari 512S of Bucknum and Adamaowicz. The Penske Ferrari followed in third place, 14 laps down. Considering the many problems, this is still a good result.
12h Sebring
Next up: the 12 Hours of Sebring. Once again, the Penske Ferrari is the fastest in qualifying and a fierce duel ensues with the Gulf Porsches. It looks more like a sprint than an endurance race. And the inevitable happens: four hours later, the Gulf 917 of Rodriguez and the Sunoco Ferrari 512 collide in a slow bend and there is heavy damage to the Ferrari. After a one hour repair they can resume the fight. And the Ferrari is again the fastest car in the race. After 12 hours of racing Donohue and Hobbs finish in sixth place. Again, considering the circumstances, a pretty good result. Winners are Vic Elford and Gérard Larrousse in a Martini Porsche 917.
24h Le Mans
The team heads to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with high hopes, but those hopes will soon be dashed. During the training runs, the top speed of the 512M on the Hunaudières straight is too low compared to that of the Porsche 917. The Ferrari “only” reaches 330 km/h compared to the 360 km/h of the Porsche 917. After an adjustment to the rear wing, 340 km/h could still be achieved and Donohue put the Ferrari in fourth place on the grid after three Porsche cars. Seven of these 917s were at the start, and there were even nine of the Ferrari 512! Ferrari also had a team on site to assist their customers. They soon realised that the Penske Ferrari had the best cards in the duel with Porsche. They therefore offered Penske a new engine for the race. Penske accepts the offer and the engine is placed in the 512M. After the start of the race Donohue can follow the Porsche’s and even climb one place in the ranking. After four hours of racing, the 512 comes to the pitbox unexpectedly. The engine makes a strange noise and the mechanics find iron particles in the engine oil. The new Ferrari engine has broken down and a retirement is inevitable.
The blue Ferrari will participate in two races two months later at the Watkins Glen circuit near New-York. On Saturday, there is a six-hour race for the World Championship. For the third time in four races, the Penske Ferrari starts from pole position and remains in the lead until lap 54. After a broken steering rod, the race ends in the sandpit.
On Sunday there is another CANAM race. Most participants of the six-hour race also take part in this. The sports cars with their 5 litre engines are no match for the typical American CANAM monsters with their more than 7 litre engines and lower weight. Link – CANAM – Donohue qualifies the 512M on a nice sixth starting place and is continuously in the top 10 of the race. However, an engine problem came and threw a spanner in the works: a hole in one of the pistons of the twelve-cylinder engine caused it to retire. This was immediately the last drive of the Sunoco Ferrari. This ends the short career of the 512 with chassis number 1040. Without doubt the fastest of the 25 cars built. From 1972 five litre engines are no longer allowed in the world championship. They will be replaced by three litre engines which are also used in F1.
The 512M goes back to Kirk F. White after the engine is repaired. Penske meanwhile signed a contract with Porsche to compete in the Canam championship from 1972 with the new 917/10 turbo. White sold the Ferrari back to its first owner. Thereafter he would change his stable a few times to finally end up with the Canadian multimillionaire Lawrence Stroll. (Current owner of Aston Martin and Aston Martin Formula 1) He has the Ferrari fully restored and participates with it in historic classic events in the USA and Canada. In 2017, the 512M was flown from Canada to Goodwood in the UK to take part in the 70 years of Ferrari celebration at the Festival of Speed. And Stroll is taking care of the Penske Ferrari. Brian Redman drove it up the Goodwood hill once before parking it in front of Goodwood House to mark the Italian marque’s birthday celebrations.
We were there and experienced a unique moment with a very unique and beautiful Ferrari.
Article & Pictures: Joris de Cock