The Ferrari 512BB Competizione represents a decisive moment in Ferrari's sporting history: the point at which the Maranello factory, under pressure from established privateer clients including Charles Pozzi, Luigi Chinetti's NART, and Jacques Swaters's Ecurie Francorchamps, committed to a dedicated racing programme around its road-going 512 BB. Tecnomodel's Corsa Clienti version in 1:43 presents that machine in its purest, unsponsored press specification — wide-arch body, roof aerofoil and all — without the livery clutter of any specific race entry.
A flat-twelve built for Le Mans
The road-going Ferrari 512 BB, introduced in 1976, measured 4,400 mm long and was powered by a mid-mounted 4,943 cc longitudinal flat-12. For the 1978 racing programme, Ferrari's Customer Assistance department stripped the car to approximately 1,200–1,225 kg and tuned the engine via four triple-choke Weber carburettors to produce just over 450 bhp — around 90 bhp more than the standard car. The five-speed manual gearbox was retained unchanged, a decision that would prove costly in competition.
The 1978 Le Mans campaign: ambition and attrition
Three or four 512 BB Competizione entries lined up at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, their wide-arch bodywork incorporating a front air dam, broader wheel arches, a roof-mounted aerofoil, and a rear wing derived from the Ferrari 312T2 Formula One car. The results were painful: every car retired, mostly from transmission failures. Chassis 24131, the NART entry numbered 87 run by Chinetti, had reached as high as 11th overall and 2nd in class before retiring in the 19th hour after 232 laps. The lessons absorbed from 1978 fed directly into the 512 BB LM, of which 25 examples were subsequently built for the 1979 season onward.
Tecnomodel Mythos Collection: resin at 1:43
This model is produced by Tecnomodel under their Mythos Collection banner in 1:43 scale, cast in resin as a limited edition. The Corsa Clienti designation — used by Tecnomodel for this and a companion Giallo Modena variant — refers to the 1978 wide-arch Le Mans bodywork finished as a clean, unsponsored press or showroom car, distinct from the race-numbered entries in the same series. Production samples were scheduled for June 2026.
In the display cabinet
At 1:43, the model measures approximately 10.0 cm in length — compact enough to sit alongside the race-numbered 512BB Competizione variants from the same Tecnomodel series (cars 87, 88, and 89 from Le Mans 1978) and to anchor a chronological Ferrari GT racing evolution display running from the 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione through to the 512 BB LM of 1979–1982. The Rosso Corsa with black sills finish is the classic uncluttered presentation that lets the wide-arch silhouette — the defining visual feature of this racing generation — speak for itself.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the 1:43 scale model?
The Ferrari 512 BB road car measures 4,400 mm in length. Divided by 43, that gives a model length of approximately 10.0 cm. That is a compact footprint, but the wide-arch bodywork and roof aerofoil mean the model has more visual presence than its length alone suggests — allow roughly 12–13 cm of shelf depth to accommodate any overhang.
Does the model have opening parts?
No. As a resin model, the body is a sealed one-piece casting with no opening doors, bonnet, or engine cover. Detail is concentrated on the exterior surfaces: the wide front air dam, broader wheel arches, roof-mounted aerofoil, and the F1-derived rear wing that distinguish the Competizione specification from the standard 512 BB road car.
What is the 'Corsa Clienti' specification, and how does it differ from the race-entered cars?
Corsa Clienti refers to the 1978 wide-arch Le Mans racing bodywork as prepared for privateer customers, finished here in an unsponsored Rosso Corsa livery without race numbers or sponsor decals. The three Le Mans entries in 1978 — cars 87 (NART/Chinetti), 88 and 89 (both Pozzi/Thomson) — carried Thomson sponsor graphics; this Corsa Clienti version represents the same mechanical and aerodynamic specification in press or showroom form.
How does this model relate to the Ferrari 512 BB LM?
The 1978 Competizione programme was the direct predecessor to the 512 BB LM. Ferrari built 25 examples of the LM from 1979 onward, incorporating the lessons — particularly around gearbox reliability — learned when all four Competizione entries retired at Le Mans in 1978. This Tecnomodel Corsa Clienti piece therefore represents the first generation of that racing lineage.
