Video: Flat-12 5.0-litre Ferrari 512 BB LM at Spa-Francorchamps

20th October 2023

Simon Ostler

Let’s end the conversation once and for all, there is nothing more special in motorsport than a Ferrari racing car. No matter which car it is, from whatever era you prefer, there’s a mystique about the name, the brand, that badge that transcends the world it inhabits. It’s sometimes tricky to put your finger on exactly why, but then you come across a car like this, and suddenly it’s obvious.

We stumbled upon this Ferrari 512 BB LM from 1981, the last one ever built, racing at Spa-Francorchamps during the Spa Classic, and it’s safe to say we were spellbound in an instant. Olivier Breittmayer, who owns this car, is a lucky man indeed, and we spoke to him about what it’s like to drive and race such a gem of motorsport history.

The engine is a 5.0-litre flat-12 producing around 470PS (346kW) at a peak of 7,250rpm. Pushed to the limit it’ll reach a top speed just shy of 200mph, which must feel like quite something in this 40-year-old car. Aside from anything else, it sounds absolutely biblical.

As we spoke to Olivier, he’d only owned the car for three months, so he was very fresh on his journey with the car, but you can see the pride and excitement etched on his face throughout our conversation. Judging by the onboard footage, we wouldn’t be able to wipe the smile off our faces either.