Casting: Ferrari 312P
Years of Production:
1970 -1971
Country of Origin:
US and Hong Kong
Casting Variations:
* Inset Body Lines
* Everted Body Lines
* HK vs. US Casting Differences
Interior and Glass Colors:
US
* Clear glass
* Black Interior
Hong Kong
* Blue glass
* Black Interior
Paint Colors and Variations:
Note: The rear black accent paint is flat black on US versions and gloss black on HK versions.
| Color | US | HK |
| Aqua | Rare |
Common |
| Blue |
Hard to Find |
Common |
| Copper |
- |
Hard to Find |
| Brown |
- |
Rare |
| Green |
Hard to Find |
Common |
| Green Apple |
Common |
- |
| Lime Yellow |
Common |
- |
| Magenta |
Uncommon |
- |
| Olive |
- | Uncommon |
| Orange |
Rare | Uncommon |
| Hot Pink |
Uncommon | Rare |
| Salmon Pink |
Rare | - |
| Purple |
Rare | Uncommon |
| Red |
Hard to Find | Common |
| Red Enamel |
Most Common |
Common |
| Rose Red |
Common | Uncommon |
Other versions of same Casting:
CIPSA 1972 Ferrari 312P
1973 Ferrari 312P
1974 Ferrari 312P
Discussion:
Released for the 1970 product year, the Ferrari 312P was one of two final models in the Grand Prix series.
Ferrari 312P on a Grand Prix Card
The Hot Wheels rendition of the Ferrari 312P was based on one of three prototypes built by Ferrari in late 1968/early 1969 as part of a renewed Ferrari racing program.
Ferrari 312 P #0868 at Brands Hatch (L) and Sebring (R) in 1969
The Ferrari 312P carried chassis number 0868. The "P" designates "prototypo" and "312" indicates the engine displacement (3 litres) and number of cylinders (12).
This particular 312 P Spyder was raced three times in preparation for the 1969 Le Mans 24-hour race. In its inaugural race in April of 1969, Mario Andretti
(first time in the car!) and Chris Amon drove 0868, wearing #25, to a 2nd place overall and 1st place in class finish at the 12 hours of Sebring.
A few weeks later, Amon and Pedro Rodriguez drove 0868, now sporting #60 badges, to a 4th place finish at Brands Hatch in the UK. Two weeks after the Brands Hatch
race, Rodriguez and Peter Schetty drove 0868 in a 1000 km race at Monza. The car was doing well until it went off the track briefly and sustained some minor damage.
After quick repairs in the pits, Rodriguez went back out, only to have the rear bodywork come loose down the high-speed main straightaway! The car spun out and Rodriguez
went backwards into the safety barriers. Rodriguez escaped injury but 0868 was badly damaged and went back to the factory, never to be raced again. The two other 312 Ps,
chassis numbers 0870 and 0872, were converted from open Spyders to Berlinettas (in an effort to improve their top speed) for the 1969 Le Mans race but they did not fare well.
The 0872 car, with Amon behind the wheel, was taken out in the first lap by a burning fuel tank from a Porsche 917.
Magenta Ferrari 312P
The Hot Wheels version of the Ferrari 312P featured a rear hatch that opened to show a detailed V-12 engine. All US and some HK blister packs included a sticker sheet
with "60" racing numbers and two diamond-shaped Ferrari prancing horse logos. The HK cars that didn't come with a sticker sheet had pre-applied #60 stickers on the sides
and rear deck, and a yellow Ferrari logo waterslide decal on the front of the car. It is not known whether the pre-applied stickers and decal are an early or late run feature.
"Everted" vs. "Inverted" body lines
While there is only one known casting version for US Ferrari 312P, the HK plant apparently used at least three different die tools. The most noticeable difference between
the three types has to do with the lines on the body of the car that represent the door edges, headlights and other features. The most common of these variations has complete
recessed door lines. A second variation also has recessed lines but they are incomplete on the sides of the car. The third variation has raised door lines. While none of
these variations is particularly rare, the raised/everted line cars are least common, and have only been found in a few of the HK colors.
Three HK Ferrari 312Ps with raised (purple), recessed (orange) and incomplete (red) door and feature lines
Rear End Comparison of HK (L) and US (R) Ferrari 312P's
Unlike the 1969 Grand Prix cars, the Ferrari 312P had a black-painted tail light panel and red-painted tail lights. On the US version,
the black trim paint extends all the way to the edge of the hatch, whereas the HK version leave a line showing the body color.
Ferrari 312P Base differences
The 1970 US base was modified with the "Hong Kong" at the rear to identify the country of origin. After 1970, the rear paint detail was omitted.
The 1973 base saw the addition of the crush prevention disks for the rear wheels and travel stops on all four wheels.
The 1974 base has an indexing hole in it, probably to facilitate assembly of the wheels to the base.
These five colors are pretty scarce for US Ferrari 312Ps
The Ferrari 312P can be found in some of the first generation colors and is common in most of the second generation colors. Whereas the
1969 Le Mans and CanAm cars can be found in many US colors and a few HK colors, the 1970 cars like the Ferrari 312P were made in many
colors at both plants. For whatever reason, some colors are much more rare than others. Interestingly, colors that are rare for the 312P
(e.g. US salmon, HK pink) are not necessarily rare for the other 1970 Grand Prix car, the Porsche 917.
Raised line HK Ferrari 312Ps have been found in red, orange, green, blue, purple and pink
The Common Version of the Ferrari 312P in Red Enamel
A pair of Spectraflame red HK Ferrari 312Ps. The one on the right has factory-applied decal and stickers
A Ferrari 312P rainbow!
Not the prettiest Ferrari, but this pink HK 312P is as rare as they get!
Three shades of HK brown: copper in front, brown in the middle, and an odd red-brown Ferrari in the rear
An unusual find: a rose Ferrari 312P on a non-Grand Prix card
A purple HK Ferrari 312P on a European "Racing Series" card
Prototypes:
A rare white interior Ferrari 312P, Less than 20 known
Ferrari 312Ps with white interiors are very rare. White interiors have only been seen in HK Spectraflame red, aqua and a single example in blue.
Although never found in package, it is an open issue whether the red cars were a prototype or just a very limited early production run.
Red and Aqua
Purple White Interior Ferrari 312P
This car was unknown until 2023.
A pair of unusual Ferrari 312Ps with black-painted highlights.
Another very interesting variation of the Ferrari 312P features black-painted highlights other than just the tail light panel. Four examples, two US and two HK,
have been discovered with nearly identical markings. Originally believed to be "after-market" modifications, these cars likely represent some sort of early paint
test that was scrapped due to the extra effort involved. Of note: the original plans for the 312P call for these highlights, and the prototype 312P shown in the
1970 catalog has a similar black-painted grille.
Credits:
Photos and text by Rick Wilson and Ted Gray
Visit Rick Wilson's Redline Grand Prix site for more information.
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