Ferrari 512S Modulo by Pininfarina

In 1970, a concept car had to be a completely revolutionary vehicle in terms of design. Fuel consumption and emissions were not a major concern, and the future imagined for automobiles was much brighter, more creative and more optimistic, if you will.

In those days, Ferrari had 25 512S cars that it had homologated for competition but had never used. Given that Pininfarina was designing its next concept for the Geneva Motor Show, Don Enzo gave one of those 512S cars to be used as a design base by Pininfarina. The result was the 512S Modulo, a concept born from one of the Maranello cars that never saw the track.

The 512S Modulo was low, very low. It was so low that one had to enter the car quite literally through the roof. For this reason, it was designed with a roof that slid forward to make access easier. It was equipped with the same V12 engine as the 512S, displacing 4994 cm³ and producing 550 horsepower, with a five-speed gearbox (the engine cover had 24 holes, through which the 12-cylinder engine could be admired). If the original reached 370 km/h, the 512S Modulo should easily have reached 400 km/h. There was, however, one “small” drawback: since the bodywork concealed the front wheels, the steering angle was very limited; as a result, the front wheels had almost no movement.

This concept did not share the fate of many others and was not destroyed. Pininfarina wished to keep it, and it remains in their possession to this day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxHcURXGlFE

Photos | Ultimate Car Page