Cleaning a Ferrari 512BBi after 12 years of neglect is a difficult task for sure. The 512BBi was produced from 1973 to 1984, only 2,323 were ever made. The 512’s successor was the Testarossa. As of today, the current successor is the 812 Superfast. We reckon after the Testarossa Ferrari lost their styling direction and only rediscover it again with the 458. The Ferrari Roma is the only other return to styling form. If we had a choice between the 512BBi and the 812 Superfast, we would pick the 512. Although it’s fair to say we would miss the superior engineering of 21st-century cars.

The 512BBi somehow managed to shoe-horn in a 4.4-litre V12 boxer engine which produced 355bhp and 451 Nm of torque. The top speed was around 160mph and the 0-62mph time was reached in 5.4 seconds. It was a lot of power for the day, however, with a kerb weight of 1,500kg the 512BBi’s performance is fairly close to the current VW Golf R. As a comparison, the 812 Superfast packs ina whopping 789bhp.

A well-maintained Ferrari 512BBi can fetch up to £255,000. Obviously, this example belonging to YouTuber Ratarossa isn’t worth as much. The previous owner neglected it for the last 12 years and it’s Ratarossa’s job to do the donkey work. Cleaning a Ferrari 512BBi for the first time in 12 years is a big task, but it’s the first step in preparation for restoration work.