Please Make Sure I'm Not Telling Any Lies ...

I write a blog on eighties cars and I'm working on a post about the 1983 512i. Am I telling any lies here?

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I live about a mile from a Ferrari dealership. As I walked nearby it earlier this week, I saw a trailer parked around the corner with a fairly low-slung sports car inside. Getting a little closer showed that it was definitely a Berlinetta Boxer - possibly this one:

1983 Ferrari 512 BBi | Amelia Island 2014 | RM AUCTIONS

"Now that's a Ferrari!", I said. The man unloading the car chuckled as I walked away.

For 1983, Ferrari's lovely Berlinetta Boxer 512i received few changes. Indeed, not much had changed since the introduction of fuel injection in 1981.

The Berlinetta Boxer's engine was Ferrari's 340 bhp 4.9 liter flat 12 with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. When paired with the five-speed manual transmission, 0-60 came in about 5.5 seconds with a top speed of 170 mph or so.

Standard equipment on the 512i included air conditioning, leather seats, power mirrors, power windows, power door locks driven from the key, a Nardi steering wheel, and a Pioneer AM/FM stereo cassette deck with 7-band graphic equalizer.

Although the Berlinetta Boxer was not legal in the U.S., some importers converted them to U.S. specifications with the addition of catalytic converters, side reflectors, and larger bumpers.

Of course, there's a fairly famous eighties music video associated with this car.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k]Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55 - YouTube[/ame]

Sammy Hagar may have his issues, but the Ferrari BB512i he drives in the video made for this song demonstrates exquisite taste. When interviewed by Motor Trend in 2008, he still owned it.

According to Hagerty's valuation tools, all the money for a 1983 Berlinetta Boxer 512i in #1 condition is $185,000. A more "normal" #3 condition example is valued at $122,000. Berlinetta Boxers seem to come up for auction more than anywhere else - Auctions America has 1984 512i on the docket for August.

There's some really excellent support for Boxers from the folks on FerrariChat.

Make mine red, please, though I'm tempted by how they look in grey.
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The $ value popped up a bunch recently so those Hagerty numbers look way low...

 

I've seen that - values seem to be accelerating rapidly. That RM car I linked to sold for $220,000.

I'm not saying anything else dumb?

 

For an interesting piece of trivia, freeze that video at 0:38 seconds and explain how a Boxer has 5-lug wheels

My only comment would be that I can't recall anyone ever referring to one as just a "512i" before (and my brain immediately flashes to 512TR when an F designation starts with 512... and doesn't have a BB in it). We often (wrongly) refer to them as 512BBi, but, I believe the correct F model designation is BB512i -- so I'd go with BB512i or 512BBi or Berlinetta Boxer 512i instead (as you have in some places). JMO.

 

wikipedia has a good overview of the Boxer...if'n you did not already know.

 

the 308 cameo has been discussed here many a time

 

when you look at sec. 20 during tire pressure check it is a single bolt wheel
so 2 different cars then?

 

when you see the 5 lug wheels, that car is a 308 - you can see it briefly from the roof line, doors etc. strange they didnt catch that, and i wonder why they swapped.

 

I believe the story is that Sammy burned the clutch on the Boxer (his personal car) and they needed a stand-in - but I'm willing to be corrected on this ...

 

Post is up - thank for the help!

1983 Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer 512i | Eighties Cars

 

He's lucky he didn't blow the diff driving it like that!

Sorry had to be first!

Cool article.