For
1964 Ferrari had a new 1.5-liter V8 engine and a semi-monocoque chassis.
As
in past seasons, the F1 team did not get 100% effort until after LeMans
in June. Surtees won 2 races later in the season after several earlier podium
finishes. The championship was totally knotted up going into the final race
in Mexico with 3 possible winners Graham Hill (BRM), Jim Clark (Lotus),
or Surtees. In a most unlikely scenario, Clark led until the last lap when
his engine failed. Since Hill and been delayed earlier by Surtees' teammate
Bandini, second place was good enough for Surtees to clinch the title by
1 point in his 158F1 (1.5-liter V8) like the one pictured here. A lucky
win you might say, but Ferrari and Surtees were in the right position to
take advantage of their rival's misfortunes.
Take a close look
at the two models side by side and notice the difference in tire size, especially
at the rear wheels. Tire technology was moving
ahead and would even more so in the 1970's. The "shark-nose" 156F1
was the last Ferrari F1 car to use wire wheels.
The rest of the 1960's were a bust for Ferrari, both in F1 and sports
cars. At LeMans, Ford and then Porsche were flexing their muscles. A Ferrari
has not won since 1965. The F1 regulations changed again in 1966, and Ferrari
should have been ready to dominate with their 3-liter V12 engines. Indeed,
they thought they would but seriously underestimated their rival's chassis
and reliability, while overestimating the horsepower available from their
engines. But things would begin to change for the better in the 1970's as
Italian auto giant Fiat took a financial interest in Ferrari and it's racing
activities. |