The 365 GT4/BB, better known as the Boxer, went into production in 1973 as the replacement for the superb front engined Daytona. First seen as a concept in 1971, the Boxer was not the first mid-engined roadgoing Ferrari, but it was the first to have a 12 cylinder engine (the preceding Dino had a V6). The twelve cylinders were arranged in two horizontal banks of six, so that the cylinders moved in a horizontal plane, in the same way a Boxer throws a punch, hence the cars unofficial name. Such a layout is known as a "flat 12". One drawback of this layout is that it requires the car to be wider than it might otherwise be, and indeed the Boxer is a wide car. This meant it was a bit unwieldy on narrow roads. Another design flaw this car had was that the engine was mounted above the gearbox, and consequently the centre of gravity was high. This did not help the cars handling, and the Boxer was not the most user friendly car Ferrari had produced to date.
Despite all it's flaws, the Boxer was a stunning looking car which was seriously fast. Together with the Lamborghini Countach and the Porsche 911 Turbo, it defined what "supercar" meant in the 1970's.
The flat 12 engine displaced 4.4 litres and produced 360bhp. Ferrari claimed a top speed of 188mph for the car, but in fact, no independent road tests were able to match that figure, with 174mph being a more realistic top speed. The Daytona which the Boxer replaced was slightly faster, with a proven top speed in the region of 178mph, so perhaps it was understandable that Ferrari did not want to admit their new car was a bit slower than the old one!
In 1976 the 365 GT4/BB was replaced by the 512 BB, which I also have in my collection. The new car was an evolution of the original Boxer, and outwardly the differences included a change to four rear lights and exhaust pipes instead of six, a new small chin spoiler at the front, and slightly different engine air vents on the rear deck. The light covers in front of the pop-up headlights also went from a clear to a yellow tint on the new version. Engine size went up from 4.4 litres to 4.9 litres, but power actually dropped to 340bhp despite the extra capacity. This could be explained by the lower state of tune the new engine was in to meet new emissions regulations demanded in the US from the mid-70's on (the US being a huge market for the car).
Kyosho made this model of the original Boxer (plus they also produced the later 512 BB version as well). It was definitely one of the best 1:18th models released in 1999, although the state of the art has moved on since then. Kyosho were unfortunate in that they had to stop making both their Boxer models after only a year as Ferrari concluded a five year deal with Mattel (aka Hotwheels) giving them exclusive rights to produce diecast Ferrari's. This came into effect in 2000, and so the Boxers went out of production. The good news however is that Kyosho have concluded a sub-licensing deal with Mattel allowing them to produce Ferrari models again. As a result Kyosho have released further quality 1:18th Ferraris including the Daytona, the 308 and the 328.
Nice features on this model include the headlights, which actually pop-up, and the tan interior which looks very nice indeed. The engine is nicely replicated and both the interior and the luggage area have felt carpeting. A good model overall.
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