Although Ferrari's 512 line never won Le Mans, the 512 S and 512 M are some of the most memorable racing cars ever made. In addition to their co-starring role in Steve McQueen's Le Mans, the Ferraris made their names with impressive performances and wins in the twilight of Enzo Ferrari's golden age of sports car racing. As helmet camera footage from a recent lap illustrates, these cars are no less captivating now than they were in 1970.
Le Mans LMP2 pilot Alex Brundle filmed a lap at England's Donnington Park while testinga 512 M earlier this month. The challenge of wrestling such a powerful, but relatively simple, car around the track is visible in just about every corner, all accompanied by the roar of a V-12 that produced a quoted 610 horsepower. If that number still seems big today, it is; 610 hp just 60 off the announced output target for the Ferrari 499 P, a car that debuted more than fifty years later and won this year's 24 hour classic.
Ferrari's 512 M ran in the final days of massive improvements in tire, engine, and aerodynamic technology in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That development culminated in the two ultimate racing cars of 1971, these Ferraris and the Porsche 917k. The red cars may have been bested at the race that counts most, but their 5.0-liter V-12s will howl around historic circuits for ages to come.
