1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB Boxer

A serious, high-speed missile which rewards the serious pilot and frustrates the casual driver

by Steve Ahlgrim

The all-new 365 GT4 BB appeared on the world stage at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and received a rapturous reception. Of monocoque/tubular steel construction, it featured a mid-mounted, flat-12 engine derived directly from Ferrari’s sports prototype program. Pininfarina clothed the state-of-the-art mechanical package in a sleek yet uncluttered berlinetta body carrying trademark black lower panels. Not only did the Boxer have six rear lights, but six exhaust pipes too—one-upmanship as only the Italians know how. Mid-1976 saw the 365 Boxer replaced by the evolutionary 512, but to many the 365 remains the definitive Berlinetta Boxer, despite—or perhaps because of—its raw and uncompromising feel. S/N 17751 is one of the earliest Boxers made and was built for a VIP motoring connoisseur par excellence, King Hussein of Jordan. Along with the Shah of Iran, King Hussein was one of the great patrons of European luxury car manufacturers during the era, and most...