Andrew Willis - 1980 Ferrari 312T5 at the Goodwood 74th Members Meeting (Photo 1) by Dave Adams Automotive Images

This is the Ferrari 312T5, designed by Mauro Forghieri for the 1975 season and winner (in its various iterations from 1975 to 1980) of 27 Grands Prix. The 312 was superseded in 1981 by the 126, Ferrari's first turbo charged F1 car. The car is built using aluminium panels fixed to a tubular steel spaceframe, and features a transverse-mounted gearbox that gives the car its T designation (T stands for trasversale). The 312 was designed to be more neutral handling than its predecessor, the understeer prone 312B3, partly achieved through the mounting of the gearbox ahead of the rear axel, and narrowing the front track of the car. The 312T debuted at the 3rd race of the 1975 season, but suffered some initial setup and power issues that led Ferrari to test their new car against the previous years car at Fiorano that showed the new car was indeed faster. The 312T then went on to win the very next (non championship) race, driven by Nicki Lauda, and another 4 in the middle of the F1 season. The drivers title was wrapped up for Lauda and the contructors championship for Ferrari by the time the F1 season got to Monza, the first contructors win for Ferrari since 1964. For the 1980 season, aerodynamic progress by the teams using the Cosworth DFV engine meant that Ferrari has to run a heavily updated version of the 312T4, the 312T5. Using the 312 Boxer engine, the 312T5 was unreliable, slow, and outclassed by the aeordynamically superior competition. For the first time since 1973, Ferrari failed to win a single race in the 1980 F1 season and finished down in 10th place in the contructors championship. It was the last season for Ferrari driver Jody Scheckter, who retired after a dismal season where he retied 4 times, did not qualify once, and his highest placed finish was 5th. Gilles Villeneuve season wasn't any better, with 6 retirements. Two 5th place finishes were about the only highlight for him that year. __________________________________________ <a href="http://daai.co.uk" rel="nofollow">Dave Adams Automotive Images</a>