Test Drove a BB512i this past week

S/N...?

 

You either love it or hate it. It depends what you expect and sounds like in your mind you were expecting a perfect rocketship with all the whistles and sirens.One needs to explore realistic expectations and accept the car for what it is - definatly not a all around super car.I love the Boxer for what it is ,
An excellent execution of Italian design - both mechanicaly and exterior body.The heritage is there and built with latest technology back then .Some owners put power and excelleration first and seems each Boxer drives differently depending on usage from previous owners.If power is what you are looking for there are alot more cars out there that will make you happy at a cheaper price.

 

FYI Boxers never had cats. Earlier BBs were light at speed in the front. The BBI airdam cured this problem. Yes wiper does dance above 120 but car sits beautifuly on the road up to 170.

 

I do not have alot of experience with F cars. As far as the Boxer and Ferrari's ? - It is the last of the handbuilts. I think it really has a special niche. Those 1970's curves are spectacular. I like the less refined nature of the car. As far as value ? Wow ! It offers so much for so little. - In comparison to other similiar vehicles, in its class and in the immediate previous era.

You have also expressed interest in a Countach. Yes the QV C/T will have more power. Of course the QV is a later model. - They are both a thrill to drive.

 

Ken, no serial number...?

 

Not too many drivers who have had the chance behind the wheel of the Boxer feels there is not enough drama! Mabey the car you drove was very underpowered ?Please drive more examples.

 

I think the car might have been faster than you realize. Also, if you are coming from modern high performance cars, the fact is a Boxer isn't that quick.

Still, the Boxer is pretty damn cool, and I love the feeling I get driving it! For that matter, I enjoy just looking at it in the garage.

 

I agree with atheyg, it sounds like the BBi you looked at has more problems then what is initially apparent. From experience, the Boxer is faster above 50 mph than the F355 and the engine sound track is unmatched.

 

Yep, drive another one or three. Then you have something to base a judgement on.

 

Something had to be wrong with the Boxer you drove. A good Boxer will blow a 308 into the weeds! And, since a Boxer is not cammy, its power is deceiving and you find yourself going much faster than you realize . I have Ansa Sports exhaust on mine and it sounds great from idle to redline. Drive a few more and I think you will find some differences from the one you drove.

 

I went from a modded 91 vette to a Boxer, without passing through a 308. I test drove a 328 and after the American iron it had no go. The boxer if setup properly will pull as strongly as my 70 vette in low gears and just moves after that. I would say you should feel a strongly noticeable increase in pull after 4000 revs. Fist gear from 15 or 20 mph should snap your head back leaving little time to think before finding second. Fourth gear should get manic at 4500 rpms and increse pace to about 6700 or about 140.

Do not believe that a recent service meant the car was running well. Boxers are very sensitive and most are not setup properly, many ferrari techs dont have the time to really fiddle the balance between banks and set mixtures exactly. Lastly if the car was as you seem to describe I would bet mixture had a CO of 3 and the distributor was probably frozen, a fairly common problem. My car after its first engine out service at a ferrari dealer would pull up to high speed but was basicaly flaccid, the list of things wrong was quite amazing, from frozen advance, bad plug wires, pooly set mixture etc. Once sorted by someone who knew what they were doing at a different dealer it was back to its old rude self.

While a Boxer struggles to do 0-60 in the mid 5 second range this is related to time spent on the ferrari box going from 1st to second rather than power.

 

I agree with the comments, that Boxer was probably not running optimally.

Most likely the distributor advance is frozen up. It makes a huge difference at the upper rpm range when it's working properly. The timing is supposed to fully advance at 5K rpm.

You should be able to really -FEEL- the power dramatically increase at 5K rpm and continue to rise all the way to redline.

When Boxers are set up right and running well, they are -SCARY FAST- when redlining third, fourth and then into fifth (if there's any room ahead left on the road).

Ask me how I know....

 

Don't the i cars have taller gears/final drive than the earlier carb'd cars?

 

The 365BBs are 3.30:1

The carb & injected 512s both have the same ratio, which is 3.21:1

 

For all boxer owners whose Wiper dances in the wind....That Single wide arm of the wiper and the slightly narrower arm actually act as spring steel,...Remove entire assembly and bounce it over your Knee to get a slight bend, or bow to create more pressure on the wiper blade itself...when I got this boxer #49473..the last 3 inches of the rubber were not even touching the glass. afterwards it sat in total contact at speed.
after owning Ferrari's for 25 years, you learn all the tricks!

 

Thanks for that info. But Michael can it stop the wiper fluttering over 150

 

At that speed You should Remove the wiper entirely along with any incriminating evidence, such as the crack pipe...

 

Michael - I believe there is an easier way to adjust the wiper blade. If you look carefully at the two shafts that support the main wiper and the small wiper, you will notice an asymmetric (angled) washer on both. By loosening the nut under the shaft, you can rotate the washer to adjust the geometry of the wiper contact with the windshield. This is designed to adjust the contact pressure on the windshield.

Jim S.

 

Will check that tonight....I was told its Italian, if you hit it you can make it do anything.