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Ferrari 512 S Module: At Last on the Move

PHOTOS FERRARI 512 S MODULE: PININFARINA

They say that when Michelangelo finished sculpting his Moses he turned away from the marble mass, put his gaze on it, and snapped a succinct and solemn "speaks". Obviously the stone giant did not move in the slightest, but sometimes the same does not always happen in the history of art and design. And it is that, some 5 centuries later, but also in the Italian Peninsula, Pininfarina began to gain fame thanks to some of the best automobile designs of all time. True masterpieces of industrial design.

Of all the clients he has worked for, by far the longest and most prosperous relationship is the one that has resulted from his marriage to Ferrari. At this point it is not necessary to gloss the magnificent "Cavallinos" out of Pininfarina's pencils, but it is worth remembering one that, until very recently, has been like Michelangelo's Moses: motionless.

We are talking about Ferrari 512 S Module, a design exercise that almost never got into motion despite having mounted a 12-liter V5 capable of delivering 550CV and accelerating from 0 to 100 km / h in just 3 seconds. The front wheels were "Locked up" within a very reduced angle of rotation due to the bodywork fairing, and also the idea of ​​producing it in series never came, possibly due to the advanced and radical nature of a bodywork where a roof-door had to be moved in order to enter the workstation. driving.

For all this, the Ferrari Modulo went down in history as a gigantic model, a superb exercise in visual innovation that, together with other prototypes such as the Lancia Stratos, advanced what would have been the aesthetics of supercars during the 70s and 80s, and whose visual footprint we can follow in a multitude of Ferrari like the 512 BB.

Now, and after buying it from Pininfarina just 4 years ago, the renowned sports car collector James Glickenhaus has subjected it to a meticulous process of mechanical updating thanks to which we have finally been able to see the Ferrari Modulo circulate.

FERRARI 512 S MODULE: ALMOST 50 YEARS STOPPED

The history of the Ferrari Modulo begins on endurance racing tracks, just when at the end of the 60s the rivalry between the Italian brand and Porsche was reaching high points that became even more complicated for the team of the "Commendatore" when the FIA ​​changed the regulations of Group 6 -prototypes- lowering the displacement to 3 liters.

Normally Ferrari competed with prototypes of 5 liters or more, so if they wanted to continue doing it that way they had to give a blow of the hand: neither more nor less than manufacture at least 25 units of the car with which they wish to compete so that it could be homologated in races; the same strategy as Porsche with its 917. This is how the Ferrari 1970 was born in 512, of which the Scudería used only a few units, most of which were sold to private drivers.

However one of them ended up in the hands of the Pininfarina house, which took advantage of its chassis and engine to cover it with a completely different bodywork.. So different that, although Ferrari was amazed by the possibilities that such an aerodynamic and light design provided combined with the mechanics of the 512 ... It never got to see more unit than this.

Thus, this futuristic design of a Paolo Martin in a state of grace was stored in the Pininfarina Museum, making it impossible to put into action its superb mechanics, which has slept for almost 50 years until the arrival of the collector. James Glickenhaus.

AND HE SAID "MOVE YOU"

Glickenhaus is one of the most reputable car collectors in the world, so could be made with the unsuspected acquisition of the Ferrari Modulo about 4 years ago. The truth is that such a piece of design falls into the hands of a private collector instead of being exhibited in the museum where he spent most of his life ... It is not a reason for tranquility for motor enthusiasts, but fortunately James has done the correct: to breathe life back into that impressive V12 that has been dormant for decades.

To do this he has worked with the 512 S Modulo in order to make it walk and, although the speed is not very encouraging since he surely does not dare to risk the state of conservation of this icon of automotive design, the truth is that we finally heard the sound of that engine designed for competition.

In short, it seems that while Michelangelo was unsuccessful in telling his Moses that of "speaks", Glickenhaus has had it when saying to the Ferrari 512 S Modulo ... "Move on".

What do you think?

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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