312t flat 12 engine.

I think the 5 liter design in the BB & TR is based on that F1 engine which was designed by Engineer Forghieri

The BB can trace its heritage back to the 330P4 as well via the P5 which eventually was produced as the 365 BB.

The F50 & Enzo are also related to the BB & TR as the F50 prototype, the Mythos was based on a TR chassis

 

The 365BB engine is designed by DeAngelis (sp?) I believe as well as the evolution to the 512BB. Other than being a flat 12 they are different because of the engine being located on top of the gearbox on the road car. They made sacrifices in the block construction to clear the bump for the crown and pinion. They also changed the 512 crankcase to correct a stress caused by this compromise. The 3L version is a race engine without compromise and the Boxer road car engines are full of compromises that make them neither a great race car or the perfect road car but I still love them

 

My understanding is that the road car motors are not related to tyhe f1 cars.

The road cars sometimes being termed a flattened v12 due the the firing order being like that of a v12 and not truly a flat 12. Cant say i know the technicalities of this or what it actualy means but have read it a number of times.

 

The 512 and 712 motors as were used in the endurance and prototype cars (not the BB512 LM) are quite different from the production motors as well.


Back when I worked for Griswolds we had the ex Pensky/Donahue car kicking around and its motor was nothing like a BB.

 

The BB engine is still a flat12 and the reference to the layed down V has to do with the crank pin layout. As in a V12 the opposing cylinders share one pin (journal) so when layed down in the "boxer" engine, the pistons shuffle together side to side rather than approach and depart from one another like in a porsche flat 4 or 6. The porsche engine is truely a boxer whereas the BB is not by definition but it still is a flat12.

 

From what I think Lauda was trying to say in his book the 312 F1 car had both configurations depending on tracks. Some venues they wanted more torque and chose the crank config accordingly.

 

love that last pic you posted. do you know which GP it is from?

john