Introduced in 1973, the Pininfarina-penned "Berlinetta Boxer" started life in the form of the 365 GT4 BB. It featured a body designed around an engine mounted amidships, nestled inches behind the driver's seat. For the first time, Ferrari's evolutionary road-going mid-engine platform would feature 12 cylinders, directly replacing the range-topping 365 GTB/4 "Daytona". Updated for 1976, the 512 BB inherited many of the stylistic cues evident in the aesthetic make-up of the earlier 365 GT4 BB, combined with even greater performance. Bosses at Maranello rewarded the Prancing Horse faithful with a finely balanced mid-engined sports car that offered drivers class-leading handling characteristics, stunning looks, and some 355 horsepower of naturally aspirated muscle.

The enhanced model’s name was a reference to the earlier Ferrari 512 race car, and it hinted at its uprated engine. The 512 BB’s mighty flat-12 beating heart displaced nearly five litres in total, and the powerplant also featured a higher compression ratio compared to the model it replaced. Four triple-barrel Weber carburettors fed fuel to the enlarged engine. Curiously, the 512 BB was never officially exported to the United States—reputedly because Enzo Ferrari did not want to adapt the car to meet stringent emissions targets. In total, 929 examples were made between 1976 to 1981.

The example offered for sale here, chassis number 28437, was finished by the factory in Rosso Chiaro over a Nero leather interior. In 1979, the Ferrari was delivered new to Switzerland via the importer, SAVAF (Société Anonyme pour la Vente des Automobiles Ferrari). As with all 512 BBs, the sports car’s sleek body is complemented by pop-up headlights at the front, and distinctive circular light clusters at the rear—though with two light units on each side, rather than three on the 365 GT4 BB. The interior boasts a period Pioneer cassette deck, while the car is accompanied by selected official Ferrari booklets. The Ferrari is presented for sale with a space-saver spare wheel, and the odometer reads 25,637 km at the time of cataloguing.

An appreciating classic, the 512 BB represents the best of Ferrari’s flagship mid-engine platform, with wedge-shaped bodywork that would influence some of the marque’s most successful models and go on to define the company’s success thanks to the later Testarossa’s enormous popularity. For true Ferrari fans, the 512 BB is a legend in its own right