1981 Ferrari 512 BB

Chassis No. 35409
Engine No. 00797
Transmission No. 813

Chassis number 35409 was completed in January 1981 as one of the final carbureted 512 BBs, its 4.9-liter F102B flat-twelve fed by four triple-barrel Weber carburetors. Like many of its exotic contemporaries that were never sold through official channels in the United States, the Boxer was imported stateside and federalized. A plaque in the door jamb notes that Auto Palace Sales, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, carried out the conversion work. A copy of the original sales invoice on file, dated 18 May 1981, records the sale of chassis 35409 through Auto Palace, noting the finish as red over black, at a cash price of $90,000 to an out-of-state buyer. The accompanying odometer disclosure noted a reading of 400 kilometers at the point of federalization.

Its first owner, a collector in Dallas, Texas, retained the car for the next 33 years and scarcely drove it, reportedly keeping it in storage with the protective plastic still fitted to its doorsills. The Ferrari emerged from that Texas garage in 2014, when it was acquired by a U.K. enthusiast and shipped across the Atlantic. J.D. Classics handled its importation that December and, in March 2016, carried out a comprehensive mechanical recommissioning. That work, documented on the firm's workshop invoice, encompassed an engine-out service, replacement of the camshaft drive belts and tensioner rollers, a new clutch assembly, an overhaul of the seized carburetors, and renewal of the fuel, coolant, and brake lines.

In 2020, the car changed hands to a French collector. The following year it received a second engine-out service, carried out by Martial Léger, a mechanic who formerly worked with the Charles Pozzi racing team. That service again addressed the timing belts and tensioners, the water pump, valve clearances, and the fuel system, ensuring the car remained mechanically sound despite its minimal use.

Today 512 BB chassis 35409 shows just 851 kilometers (approximately 529 miles) from new, placing it among the best-preserved BBs known to exist. So complete is its preservation that the car still wears what are believed to be its original Michelin XWX tires on the center-lock five-spoke wheels-a remarkable survivor detail, though any new owner intending to drive the car in earnest should plan to fit fresh rubber before extensive road use. Its cabin retains Daytona-style seats trimmed in Nero leather, a Nardi wheel with the gated dogleg shifter, and a period Pioneer stereo. The car is matching-numbers throughout, with its stamped chassis, engine, and transmission numbers as documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini.

Accompanied by its 1981 purchase invoice, service records from both engine-out services, tool and jack kits, and factory literature in its original document pouch, this 512 BB presents a rare reference point for the model. Few examples of Ferrari's final carbureted flat-twelve remain in such uncompromised condition, and such a survivor would be an ideal entrant to Ferrari Owners Club preservation-class events.