29 June 2023
The Ferrari 312 F1 was the designation of the 3.0 litre V-12 (consequently 312) Formula One car raced by the Italian team from 1966 to 1969.
They raced the 312 B in the 1970 season and the 312 T in the 1975 season.
During 1975 and 1980, Ferrari raced an upgraded 312 T.
Throughout that period, Ferrari achieved 27 wins, 4 Constructors Championships and 3 Drivers Championships.
Attaining these results meant the Ferrari 312 T is the most successful F1 car in motorsport history.
The most successful was the Ferrari 312 T4, driven by two of the most significant F1 drivers, Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve; the car was most certainly not known for its appearance.
Whilst referring to appearance, for some reason, in 1981, Mauro Forghieri, Ferrari’s chief of design, created a six-wheeler, the 312 T6.
The configuration comprised two wheels at the front and four at the rear.
Understanding why Ferrari could have thought a six-wheel configuration was possible is challenging. The rear wheelbase exceeded the allowed width of a Grand Prix car.
Ferrari replaced the 312 series with the 126C for the 1981 season, and it was Ferrari’s first turbocharged single-seat racing car.
