Exoto is pleased to present a collection of Ferraris that celebrate and commemorate 50 years of Ferrari in Formula One competition. Grand Prix winners include the 1975 312 T, 1979 312 T4, and 1990 641/2.
In 1979 Ferrari contested the Formula One World Championship with their 312T4. Though not the last, the 312T4 was without a doubt the ultimate evolution of the 3-litre Ferrari flat-12 motor.
The 312T4 is rarely referred to as a thing of beauty but the shape of this Championship winning racer is unquestionably functional and purposeful. Inspired by the Lotus 79, the entire chassis and body is designed to act as a giant wing with a vast undertray, sliding skirts, and a broad flat upper surface.
Ferrari's greatest challenge was placing their wide engine into the new chassis. Up until then the flat-12 engine had an advantage because of its ultra-low center of gravity. Now, however, the entire engine would have to be raised to permit sufficient airflow beneath the car, unlike the Ford-Cosworth competition with their V-8 engines. No longer was the low center of gravity an advantage for the Scuderia.
In its first outing at Kyalami, South Africa, drivers Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve led the field home in a 1-2 finish. By the end of the 1979 season the 312T4 propelled the dynamic duo to six overall victories, good enough to earn Scheckter and Ferrari the World Drivers and Constructors Championships!
The 1979 Ferrari 312T4 goes down in history as one of the great achievements in Formula One engineering: a 3-liter winner amidst turbo-charged competition.
