Ferrari 312 PB driven by Clay Regazzoni leads Gulf Oil Porsche 917 at Brands Hatch in 1971
Ferrari 312 PB driven by Clay Regazzoni leads Gulf Oil Porsche 917 at Brands Hatch in 1971

Ferrari 312P & 312PB – Book Review

The late 1960s and early 1970s formed a significant epoch in the world of international sports car racing. As the motor racing rule-making body moved back and forth between cars that less and less resembled road-going vehicles, prototype sports car racing captured the imagination of manufacturers, teams and fans alike. Porsche vs Ferrari vs Alfa Romeo vs Matra provided some of the best ever racing for sports cars. At first the 5-litre Porsches and Ferraris battled through 1970 and 1971, but the 3-litre prototypes that previously had run in another class rapidly became more and more competitive.

By 1973, the Ferrari 312PB, little more than a Grand Prix car with full bodywork, was dominating the scene. This has always been viewed as one of the great eras in sports car racing, when all the Grand Prix drivers were fully active in sports cars as well as F1 machines. With 100 contemporary pictures, this is the story of a great time in motor sport history.

Members only$29 / year

Keep going. This is where it gets good.

Sports Car Digest Membership is for people who'd rather spend an hour with one chassis number than skim ten headlines. The rest of this story — and every other one like it — is a few seconds away.

  • 5,000+ members-only stories

    Concours, auctions, race history, driven classics and the full archive.

  • No ads. None.

    The whole site reads like a magazine, on every device.

  • The market, every week

    Auction results and classic-car values from the people who were there.

  • 30% off the shop

    Every Sports Car Digest shirt and piece of merch, all year.

Join Sports Car Digest — Keep Reading

$29 a year. Cancel anytime, no hoops.
Already a member? Sign in

BY CAR PEOPLE, NOT A NAMELESS MEDIA COMPANY. Your membership keeps a small independent team of historians, photojournalists and racing drivers doing this.

Join — Keep Reading $29/yr