Ferrari P4 V12 by Norwood
January 24th, 2008 by BallerRide
In 1966, Ford’s MkII racecar beat out Ferrari’s P3 at Le Mans, prompting Ferrari to develop a new prototype to reclaim victory. Under the technical direction of Mauro Forghieri, Ferrari’s Maranello Racing Department crafted the faster and more powerful V12 P4, with which Ferrari finished 1-2-3 at Daytona and followed with a win in the Monza 1000 Kilometers.
However, in the big race at Le Mans in 1968, the P4 lost out to the superior 7.0 liter Ford Mk IV, which bested the P4’s top end by a significant 15 mph. Following the loss at Le Mans, Ferrari retired the P4 and took a two year hiatus from the F1 circuit until it returned in 1970 with its 512.
Today only three known P4’s remain, and they are all parked behind museum doors. Were they to hit the auction block, each P4 would fetch an estimated $15 million.
Fortunately, legendary racecar builder Bob Norwood has recreated the P4 in all of its glory. Norwood’s Autocraft shop, based in Dallas, Texas will produce two custom P4’s replicas this year, each carrying a price tag of $400,000 to $500,000 depending on options.
Each of Norwood’s P4’s comes stocked with a late model Ferrari V12 engine coupled to a Maranello 6 speed manual gear box. A power to weight ratio of only 3.68 assures a quick, exciting ride. To be exact, the P4’s 515 bhp propel the racer from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds.
Available through: Norwood Autocraft [via FerrariChat]
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