An article in Vintage Motorsport about a restored Ferrari 1512 whetted my interest. I had forgotten about this rare model, (just 3 built), though I must have seen L Bandini race one at the 1964 USGP.
Ferrari raced with 3 different engines in 1964, the 1512 was designed to update the 158 V8 car and was a first attempt by Mauro Forghieri to design a flat 12 motor. Debuting at the USGP, it was not notably successful by Ferrari standards. John Surtees was not a fan, he preferred the 158 to race, leaving the 12 cyl car mostly for Bandini. The car scored no wins, but 3 podiums for Bandini in 1964-65. By mid 65 season, development stopped as Ferrari began to prepare for the new formula.
The current owner mentions the car is a "nightmare to maintain due to its great complexity". Multi plugs, cylinders, coils etc all within a 1.5 l displacement attest to that.
Some reasons for the failure of the design could be:
The displacement was just too small for a successful 12 cyl design. The most successful 1.5 l cars were V8 powered including Ferraris. Surtees won twice in 64 with the V8 while Bandini won in the V6 Dino as Ferrari took both championships.
The hugely successful Ferrari 312B was designed by Forgheri for 1970. Chassis and flat 12 motor were designed together to take full advantage of the configuration. Perhaps it was also a case of Forghieri getting it right second time around.
