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Last review in August 2004
365 GT4/BB
1:18 scale ; Left hand drive ; Solid red color ; Made in china
My first Ferrari collection with long type name, Ferrari 365 GT4/BB. The body shape of this car showing muscular, powerfull, strength and agility characteristic as 400 meters running athlete. This car was build in 1971 to replace 365 GTB/4 Daytona (this made me wrong several time to write type this car) continued until late 1976, by which time the famous new 5-litre 512, had replaced it. 387 GT4 Boxer's were completed in little more than three years, 58 being in right-hand drive. BB name means berlinetta boxer, mid engine layout with 12 cylinder. The concept design works by pininfarina, the enzo ferrari favorite designer. Today, the Boxer stands as a testament to the quality of Italian automotive design in the seventies, combining period features with an aggressive elegance that will never date.
Prominent features at the front were the Boxer's exceptionally low ground clearance, it's wide aluminium grille and wedge-like nose. Retractable headlights so in vogue during the 1970’s and ‘80’s were mounted relatively high up the sweeping front wings, - above either clear plastic or orange supplementary light covers that lent a distinctive look albeit one not too unlike Lamborghini’s Countach. Between the retractable headlight pods was a brushed aluminium vent whilst the front lid led up to a rakish teardrop-windowed cabin. Ferrari horse symbol was crafted by Kyosho, made deep impressive about this car.
Flying buttresses swept from the convex back window to the rear wing extremities, the Berlinetta Boxer's tail being of a Kamm cut-off variety with minimal rear overhang. Meanwhile, much like on the 365 GTC/4 and GT4 2+2, it's tail housed triple light clusters either side of the rear facia whilst the 2+2 model also shared a six exhaust pipe set-up with the BB, these being the only two series production models to feature such a detail. With it's mixture of creases and curves then, Pininfarina's Berlinetta Boxer must be considered among the most accomplished designs from this period and one of only a few to retain such great style and elegance. In this model the reverse lamp didn't use clear plastic material just painted in silver and the rear grill didin't use airflow grill as look as the real 365 GT4/BB very sad for this beautiful model.
Scaglietti of Modena fabricated the bodywork entirely from steel apart from the doors, front lid and engine cover that were all in lightweight aluminium. Opened door, trunk, hood and moveable steering as typical 18 scale model.
Inside, the cabin was also executed by Pininfarina who managed to combine traditional Ferrari detailing into a cockpit that, in reality, shared no componentry or dimensions with any previous models. Trimmed in a manner that befitted such an expensive machine, the Boxer was appointed for high-speed grand touring, the interior bearing little similarity to competition machines of the period. Well-padded, stylish and trimmed in leather, the seats took some cues from previous models but were now less heavily bolstered than before, that leather covered instrument binnacle and dash top becoming more boxy, less aesthetically pleasing. Traditional Ferrari items like the triple aluminium spoked, leather rimmed steering wheel and chromium plated open gate gear shift were present in a cabin that, overall, must be applauded for it's ingenuity and styling. Meanwhile, although launched production-ready at the Paris Salon during October 1973, the first prototype had been seen as long ago as Turin ’71 but nevertheless, Ferrari's new berlinetta caused a sensation and, despite some mourning the loss of a front-engined GT, almost all agreed the new model was a very impressive motorcar.
The trunk of this mid engine car detailed very good by Kyosho. Left side is water container, right side is emergency tool box, pop up lamp and trunk damper is realistic use. There is no spare tire bottom the carpet.
Ferrari’s longitudinally positioned, mid mounted flat twelve featured a displacement of 4390cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 81mm x 71mm respectively, this engine clearly having been derived from those three-litre 312 B and B2 Grand Prix motors used between 1970 and ’74. It produced an output of 360bhp at 7500rpm, compression being set at 8.8:1 and four triple choke downdraught Weber 40 IF3 C carburettors endowing the stunning GT4 BB with quite exceptional performance. For example, top speed was over 175mph while sprinting from zero to sixty took just 5.4 seconds - impressive figures in 1973 and maybe even more so today. Meanwhile, although always referred to as a flat twelve over square Boxer engine, it's dimensions are actually more like those of a V-banked engine with an angle of 180°. Moreover, with this new layout for the Berlinetta Boxer being radically different from those front V12-engined GT’s of the past, it was always inevitable that the silhouette for this new mid-engined car would be like no previous two-seater Ferrari flagship.
Typical low ground clearance body combine with mid engine chassis. Orange color is shock absorber, not so special juat orange painted. I like the exhaust system so complicated than common vehicle. It was very rare found a sport car with six exhaust.
Hydraulic ventilated disc brakes were fitted front and rear, as were the familiar five spoke light alloy knock-on wheels manufactured by Cromodora. The dish brake on the front was silver painted but not rotate like the function. The rear dish rotate as real function but didn't painted (no picture), both rear was connected with bar.
The Scale Point is:
Body = 10
Paint = 10
Decal = 10
Break = 8
Wheel = 10
Light = 8
Interior = 10
Grill = 8
Engine = 10
Chassis = 10
Average Point = 8 / 10
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