Koenig Ferrari 512 BBi

In 1974, Willy Koenig purchased his first mid-engined sports car, the Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, as a weekend car. But he was dissatisfied with its performance compared to his usual racing sports cars, since the 4.9-liter V12 engine produced only 335 hp. Then he decided to turn to friends from the racing industry to help finalize the technical part and styling.

The Munich tuner's main collaborator and favorite was Austrian engine builder Franz Albert, an experienced racer, who chose a pair of Rajay turbos, two air intercoolers (and the same number of bypass valves), as well as additional oil coolers and a dry sump lubrication system. The modifications to the donor car did not end there. Vittorio Strosec, a former student of Luigi Colani who later became famous for modifying Porsches under his own name, designed a fiberglass body kit that was attached to the body. This included a new shovel-like front bumper and spoiler combination that reputedly reduced lift by as much as 30%; chunky rear bumper and functional side scoops; plus an integrated rear spoiler, usually with a Countach-style wing.

After modification, the results of the sports car improved, which was noticed by other Ferrari owners and began to turn to Willy Koenig with a request to work magic on their cars. As a result, in 1977, this activity grew from a hobby into a profession, the flow of people wanting to make their Ferrari racing did not dry up, and Willy Koenig founded the Koenig-Specials studio in Munich.

The base model was a slightly tuned 512BB, equipped with a higher performance exhaust system etc., which produced around 370 hp. A more radical approach followed, installing Mahle pistons and modified cylinder heads to bring power up to 450 hp. The pinnacle of development for 1982 was the Rajay's twin-turbocharged and intercooled variant, which Koenig claimed would deliver a maximum power of 650 hp and a top speed of 330 kph.

The suspension was also modified and wider wheels with stronger brakes were installed to cope with the increased power.

At customer request, Koenig-Specials also modified the interior of the 512 BB. It features a Clarion G80 sound system and a full leather interior.

About 50 copies were produced at a price of DM 130,000 for the maximum version with a turbocharger.

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