Casting: Ferrari 512S





Years of Production:

1972


Country of Origin:

Hong Kong
Mexico - CIPSA


Casting Variations:

None noted


HK COLORS:
COMMENTS:
light green
uncommon
magenta uncommon
yellow uncommon
red uncommon
blue hard to find
rose hard to find
aqua rare



Interior Colors:

Dark Interiors
Blue tinted windshield


Other versions of same Casting:

1973 Shell Ferrari 512S
CIPSA Ferrari 512S


Comments:

The Ferrari 512S was only made for one year in the spectraflame colors. It is relative difficult to find due the lower volume of production.
The window "glass" is blue-tinted and can be removed. All four wheels are medium-size caps.



The Real Ferrari 512S

The Ferrari 512 S Speciale, was the star of the Turin Salon in October 1969 and was the inspiration for 1972 Ferrari 512S.




1972 Ferrari 512S with Hatches Opened

Mattel's version of the Ferrari 512S faithfully re-created the large lift-up cockpit hatch and rear engine cover with black louvered vents.




Base on the 1972 Ferrari 512S

The base on the 1972 is the same as the 1973 Shell Promo.




Ferrari 512S Rainbow




1972 Ferrari 512S in Canadian BP with Rare Mag Wheel Button


The Story Behind the 512S- by Rick Wilson

Only two Ferraris were immortalized in by Mattel during the redline era. The first of these was the Ferrari 312 P race car, issued in 1970
as part of the Grand Prix series.The second was a prototype show car known as the Ferrari 512 S Speciale. Interestingly, the two redline
Ferraris were technically based on the same car! The red Ferrari 312 P Spyder with #60 badges that Mattel's car is based upon was one
of three built in late 1968/early 1969 as part of a renewed Ferrari racing program, and it carried chassis number 0868. This particular
312P 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
and Chris Amon drove 0868 to a 1st place in class finish at the 12 hours of Sebring. A few weeks later, Amon and Pedro Rodriguez drove
0868, sporting the familiar #60 badges, to a 4th place finish at Brands Hatch in the UK.



Ferrari 312 P Spyder #0868 on the track at Brands Hatch in 1969

Two weeks after the Brands Hatch race, Rodriguez and Peter Schetty drove 0868 in a 1000 km race at Monza; a final tune-up before
Le Mans. 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 onto the track only to have the rear bodywork come loose down the high-speed main straightaway! The car spun
out and Rodriguez slid backwards into the safety barriers. Rodriguez escaped injury but chassis 0868 was badly damaged and went back
to the factory, never to be raced again. In mid-1969, the damaged chassis of 312 P Spyder number 0868 was rebuilt and fitted with a
612 CanAm engine as the basis for a new 512 S sports prototype. A few months later, the engine-chassis combination, now renumbered as
002,was sent to Pininfarina headquarters in Turin. There the chassis was refitted with a futuristic wedge shaped body, painted in a bright
yellow. The cockpit was covered with an expansive windshield on a unique lift-up canopy. The engine compartment was similarly adorned
with the now familiar black louvered hatch and the 512S was born.



The reborn Ferrari 512S Speciale

The Ferrari 512 S Speciale, was the star of the Turin Salon in October 1969 and was the inspiration for the 1972 released Ferrari 512S.



Photo info credits: Rick Wilson and Ted Gray





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