Enzo Ferrari is not impressed by the efforts of the Dearborn giant. He's confident that he'll win Le Mans a tenth time. Having no areodynamic research centre as Ford, he decides that the 4.0 Ferrari 330P3 should be equipped with a new body. The old Ferrarist Piero Drogo is asked to move from South-America to Italy. At Drogo's Carozzeria Sports Cars he develops one of the most beautiful cars Ferrari ever released, a real piece of art, the 4.0 Ferrari 330P3. The new car is 9 cms shorter than the P2, 11 cms wider and 6 cms lower. Enzo Ferrari retains the 3,967 c.c. V12 engine, rated at 420bhp at 8,200 revs/min. The cylinder heads have been redisigned by using Lucas fuel injection instead of Weber carburettors. A fine 65 lb has been saved on engine weight.
Continuous social problems and strikes in the Italian steel sector, however, made that Ferrari had to change its old strategy to use only spare parts manufactured by the own factory. A 3-plate dry clutch was to be imported from Borg und Beck A.G., while a 5-spead gearbox has to replace the former Ferrari one. Eventually dry weight of the new P3 prototype is 100 kgs lighter than the P2's. With only 720 kgs (1,584 lb) the P3 is only 20 kgs above FIA's minimum of 700 kgs.
Initially it's Ferrari's intention to make at least 7 or 8 copies of the new car. But the continuing social problems in Italy result in a much lower production. Going to the Le Mans April tests only two works cars are ready: a 330P3 Berli-netta and a 330P3 Barquetta. Il Commandatore decides that the old 4.4 Ferraris 365P2 of Maranello Concessionaires (GB), North-Ameri-can Racing Team (NART, USA), Écurie Francor-champs (B), Scuderia Filipinetti (CH) and David Piper must be updated, changing gearbox and brakes, and equipping them with a new body, similar to the P3's and revised by Piero Drogo's Carrozzeria Sports Car. Those cars are named commonly 4.4 Ferrari 365P2/P3. Typical for the problems in Maranello are the Dinos. When they were called "206S" it was Ferrari's intention to manufacture 50 identical units (the "S" for sportscar of Group 4), but financial problems prevented that more than a dozen of such cars were built.
Author: ArchitectPage
