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1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis

1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis

1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis

Ferrari’s 412MI was purpose-built to compete with American cars at the Indianpolis 500 and the Race of Two Worlds at Monza. It used a unique version of Ferraris current sports car V12, infact bored-out version of from #0676, the 335S which tragically crashed at the 1957 Mille Miglia.

To cope with the near 450 bhp, an old 375 F1 was used since the more modern chassis were developed for smaller inline-4 and v6 engines. Ferrari modified suspension, which converted the transverse leaf springs to coil units.

Two very peculiar aspects of the 412MI was a three-speed transaxle and its a rear mounted differential starter.

At the 1958 Race of Two worlds, Mike Hawthorn and Juan Manuel Fangio completed three grueling heats, and placed third overall behind two American Indy cars.

1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis 1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis 1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis 1958 Ferrari 412 Monza Indianapolis

In Detail

submitted by Richard Owen
type Racing Car
engine V12
valvetrain DOHC 2 Valves / Cyl
fuel feed Weber 42DCN Carburettors
displacement 4023 cc / 245.5 in³
bore 77 mm / 3.03 in
stroke 72 mm / 2.83 in
compression 9.9:1
power 309.5 kw / 415.0 bhp @ 8500 rpm
specific output 103.16 bhp per litre
front brakes Hydrualic Drums
rear brakes Hydrulaic Drums
wheelbase 2300 mm / 90.6 in
front track 1296 mm / 51.0 in
rear track 1310 mm / 51.6 in
transmission 4-Speed Manual