Scalextrics' Ferrari 312 T3, The 156 Sharknose, and the 375 F1

Model history:

Ferrari 312 T3
By 1973 Ferrari was no longer able to compete with the Cosworth DFV engined 'kit-cars' from the UK. Its flat 12 engine 312 B proved a winner when first introduced in 1970 with four victories, but in 1973 the Scuderia won not one F1-race.

The very first 312 T3 was used in just three races. Gilles Villeneuve debuted the car during the South African Grand Prix but failed the finish. Carlos Reutemann subsequently scored a victory in the US Grand Prix West at Long Beach. After its retirement chassis 032 was sold to the famous French racing car collector Jacques Setton. In 2001 it was acquired by the current owner who had the car fully refurbished. He is seen here in action at the 2008 Monaco Historic Grand Prix where he demonstrated the car.

In order to become competitive again Enzo Ferrari made some major personnel changes and pulled the Scuderia out of sports car racing. Mauro Forghieri was reinstated as chief-engineer and set out to completely re-design the flat 12 engine. Appointed as team-manager was Luca de Montezemelo, who has been associated with Ferrari in various functions for over thirty years now. Finally a new driver pairing was signed for 1974l Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni.

Many modifications were carried through in the 312 B3 for 1974. Lauda proved the speed of the modified B3, securing nine pole positions. Poor reliability meant that only two out of the nine poles materialised in victories. Regazzoni scored another victory and was runner up in the championship behind McLaren's Emerson Fittipaldi. Three victories was a major improvement over the 1973 season, but there was more to come from the 'new team'.

Boxed Edition

At the end of the season, work was started on a new car, main focus was to construct a very compact racer. The new transverse gearbox helped to keep the weight between the front and rear axle and gave the new car its namel 312 T (transversale). Centering the weight makes cornering easier. The gearbox was directly bolted on a 485 bhp version of the flat 12 engine. Although slightly heavier than the DFV engine, the 12 cylinder unit outpowered its British counterpart by at least 20 bhp.

For 1975, Ferrari introduced the Ferrari 312 T Series. The “T” stood for transversale and indicated that the five-speed gearbox was mounted east-west ahead of the rear axle for a better center of gravity. The suspension was altered front and rear, and Lauda’s superb ability as a test driver honed the machine.
The Ferrari 312 T entered competition in the season’s third race, in South Africa. By the sixth race, at Monaco, it and Lauda were in the winner’s circle. In all, the Ferrari 312 T won six of the last 11 races. Lauda was world champion, and Ferrari had its first constructors title since 1964.

All the improvements made and the talented driver pairing gave Ferrari the best chance in years to win a championship again. However it wasn't until the third Grand Prix that Lauda got his hands on the 312 T, but when he did he proved the pace was there with a pole position, closely followed by his team-mate in the other 312 T. A crash in the first lap ended the hopes for the 312 T's maiden victory.

All was well in the next couple of Grands Prix, with Lauda winning four out of the next five races. Regazzoni won the all important Italian Grand Prix at Monza and Lauda grabbed the victory in the final Grand Prix of the year. Lauda secured Ferrari's first driver's title since Surtees' title of 1964 and the Scuderia took the constructor's title as well.

New airbox regulations forced Ferrari to launch a first evolution of the 312 T halfway through the 1976 season. Dubbed the T2, it featured new air intakes on either side of the cockpit. Lauda was on his way to prolongue his title in the T2, but a heavy crash on the Nürburgring left him badly burned.

In a remarkable short time he returned to the cockpit of his Ferrari, but he could not prevent McLaren's James Hunt to take the title. Lauda and T2 proved to be the winning formula in 1977 winning both the driver's and constructor's championships.

A change to Michelin's new radial tires required the construction of a completely revised chassis for 1978, but because the complete drivetrain was retained it was named 312 T3. At a time where Ferrari focused on matching their chassis to the new tires, Lotus turned the sport upside down with their ground effects cars. Although the T3 could not match the pace of the Lotus 78, its rock solid reliability record often put their drivers Carlos Reutemann and Gilles Villeneuve in contention for a victory.

At the end of the season Lotus' Mario Andretti was crowned world champion, closely followed by his team mate Ronnie Peterson and Ferrari's Reutemann. The Argentinean driver racked up four victories and the young Villeneuve scored his maiden win on home soil in the first Montreal Grand Prix on the track that is now known as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Arguably the most beautiful Ferrari Formula 1 car ever constructed, the T3 holds a special spot in Ferrari's history, despite not reeling in the big prices.

General specifications
Country of origin - Italy
Chassis number - 032 / 034 / 035
Numbers built - 5
Produced in - 1978
Predecessor • Ferrari 312 T2 -

Successor     •    Ferrari 312 T4
Body design - Gestione Sportiva

Major wins - 1978
USA Grand Prix West (Carlos Reutemann in 032) - 1978
British Grand Prix (Carlos Reutemann in 033) - 1978
USA Grand Prix (Carlos Reutemann in 035) - 1978
Canadian Grand Prix (Gilles Villeneuve in 034)

Engine
Configuration - Type 015 180º V 12
Location          - Mid, longitudinally mounted
Weight            - 144 kilo / 317.5 lbs
Construction   - light alloy block and head
Displacement - 2.992 liter / 182.6 cu in
Bore / Stroke   - 80.0 mm (3.1 in) / 49.6 mm (2 in)
Compression   - 11.5:1
Valvetrain       - 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed       - Lucas Fuel Injection
Aspiration     - Naturally Aspirated

Drivetrain
Chassis/body       - aluminium / composite body on aluminium monocoque
Front suspension - double wishbones, inboard spring/damper units
Rear suspension - upper arm, lower wishbone, single central radius arm
Steering               - rack-and-pinion
Brakes                 - Brembo ventilated discs, all-round, rear inboard
Gearbox              - Ferrari Type 020 5 speed Manual
Drive                   - Rear wheel drive

Dimensions
Weight                                    - 580 kilo / 1278.7 lbs
Length / Width / Height         - 4250 mm (167.3 in) / 2130 mm (83.9 in) / 1010 mm (39.8 in)
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r)         - 2560 mm (100.8 in) / 1620 mm (63.8 in) / 1585 mm (62.4 in)

Performance figures
Power                   - 510 bhp / 380 KW @ 12200 rpm
Torque                  - 320 Nm / 236 ft lbs @ 9700 rpm
BHP/Liter             - 170 bhp / liter
Power to weight   - 0.88 bhp / kg

Scalextric Ferrari 156 "Sharknose"

Ferrari's racing car development program was based on evolution rather than revolution. This resulted in some of the greatest racers ever built, but also meant that drastic rule changes often left the Italian manufacturer trailing well behind the competition. This was hardly the case in 1961 when Formula 1 had switched from a displacement limit of 2.5 litre to 1.5 litre. That limit had previously been used for Formula 2 for which Ferrari had already developed a state of the art V6 engine. The (British) competition fought long to prevent the rule changes and as a result were very poorly prepared for the new season.

The twin-cam V6 engine bore close resemblance to the 2.5 litre that had been successfully raced in Formula 1 since 1958. It was first raced in a front-engined chassis and in 1960 appeared in Ferrari's first mid-engined single seater chassis. At first sight the mid-engined car that appeared in 1960 was brand new, but that would have gone against Ferrari's design principles. Closer inspection revealed that it was in fact the familiar F1/F2 chassis with the engine moved to the rear of the driver. The relocation of the engine did necessitate the development of a new gearbox.

Known as the 246P, the mid-engined Ferrari debuted at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, powered by the larger of the two V6 engines. Richie Ginther drove the new car and finished a credible sixth at a track where the much nimbler British Coopers and Lotus felt much more at home. After its Monaco debut, the Formula 1 engine was replaced by the smaller Formula 2 engine. One of Ferrari's other Works drivers, Wolfgang von Trips humiliated the competition at the 156P's only Formula 2 race. He won the Solitude Grand Prix with great ease.

Over the winter, chief engineer Carlo Chiti worked hard to refine the new Formula 1 car, although the basic design of the 1960 was retained. The chassis consisted of four large tubes and was suspended by double wishbones all-round. The most obvious change was the much slimmer bodywork with a very striking twin nostril front air intake, which gave the car the nickname 'Sharknose'. The biggest priority was the development of a new version of the V6 engine with a 120 degree V-angle, instead of the 65 degree angle of the original design. This freed up more space for the intakes and lowered the centre of gravity.

V-6 Engine/Intakes

General specifications
Country of origin	Italy
Chassis number	0002R
Numbers built	1961: 5 1962: 3
Produced from	1961 - 1962
Predecessor	Ferrari 246 F1 Dino
Successor	Ferrari 156 F1 'Aero'
Body design	Carlo Chiti

Major wins

1961	Dutch Grand Prix (Wolfgang von Trips in 0004)
1961	Belgian Grand Prix (Phil Hill in 0003)
1961	French Grand Prix (Giancarlo Baghetti in 0008)
1961	British Grand Prix (Wolfgang von Trips in 0004)
1961	Italian Grand Prix (Phil Hill in 0002)

Engine
Configuration	Type 188 65º V 6
Location	Mid, longitudinally mounted
Construction	light alloy block and head
Displacement	1.496 liter / 91.3 cu in
Bore / Stroke	81.0 mm (3.2 in) / 48.2 mm (1.9 in)
Compression	9.8:1
Valvetrain	2 valves / cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed	3 Weber 42 DCN Carburettors
Aspiration	Naturally Aspirated

Drivetrain
Chassis/body	aluminium body over steel tubular frame
Suspension (fr/r)	double wishbones, coil springs over Koni dampers, anti-roll bar
Steering	rack-and-pinion
Brakes	ventilated discs, all-round, mounted in-board at the rear
Gearbox	Ferrari Type 543/C 5 speed Manual
Drive	Rear wheel drive

Dimensions
Weight	460 kilo / 1014.1 lbs
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r)	2300 mm (90.6 in) / 1260 mm (49.6 in) / 1260 mm (49.6 in)

Performance figures
Power	200 bhp / 149 KW @ 10500 rpm
BHP/Liter	134 bhp / liter
Power to weight	0.43 bhp / kg
Top Speed	240 km/h / 149 mph

Even though the new changes should have favoured the nimbler British chassis, they were lacking a proper powerplant and were forced to start the season with a Climax four cylinder engine that produced a modest 150 bhp. That was a stark contrast with Ferrari, who had not one, but two engines ready for the 1961 both pumping out around 190 bhp. Needless to say the 1961 season was a complete Ferrari walk-over; they were beaten only twice by a brilliant Stirling Moss in his Lotus. It was not all good news for Ferrari as championship leader Von Trips had a fatal accident at Monza. This opened the door for Phil Hill to become the first American World Champion, winning the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix.

Towards the end of the season, the spaceframe cars were replaced by the 156 'Aero'. This used a semi-monocoque chassis consisting of a basic tubular frame covered in duralumin sheets. Surtees qualified the car on pole at its debut, but scored no further victories. In 1964 Forghieri had finally bridged the gap to the competition when he mated the 'Aero' semi-monocoque chassis to a brand new V8 engine that pumped out around 210 bhp. The new Ferrari 158 really came to its own in the second half of the season, with Surtees scoring two victories and eventually clinching the driver's title.

Unfortunately all of the 'Sharknose' Ferraris were scrapped after the 1962 season and today only some of the 1963 cars remain. In recent years various replicas have been constructed around original parts, including one that starred in Chris Rea's film 'La Passione'. Although competitive for a single season and eclipsed, the 156 'Sharknose' has earned its place among the all time great Formula 1 cars.

In 2004 a Belgian enthusiast commissioned Jim Stokes in Great Britain to build a reconstruction of the 156 'Sharknose' (chassis 0002) used by Olivier Gendebien in the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix. Using as many original parts as possible, including the 65º V6 engine and five-speed gearbox, Stokes created a very accurate replica of the legendary Ferrari F1 car. The chassis and suspension were fabricated in-house using original drawings.

The body was carefully crafted by bodywork specialists VintageCars. Five years in the making, chassis '0002R' made its public debut at the 2009 Goodwood Revival.

The Ferrari 375 F1