The 512 BB was Ferrari's first mid-engined, flat V12, two-seat road rocket with styling done by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina. Only 929 examples were made between 1976 and 1981. I still vividly remember being passed by a red over black Boxer on a lonely stretch of interstate highway in 1987. The driver was motoring briskly, but his pace still gave me time to truly appreciate its gorgeous other worldliness. The experience made my day.
The Co-Hog version of the Ferrari 512 BB was introduced in 1982 and a scant 45 were made. Two were given to Enzo Ferrari (#28), and Brenda Vernor, (#29), his private secretary for 16 years (1977-1993), by the late Gary Kohs (#33). Gary was an appreciative Ferrari collector who had been granted unusual access to photograph the complete build of his 1:1 512 BB and wanted to show his appreciation.
Richard Hinson (#36), then AutoWeek magazine editor (and Co-Hog collector), wrote that Gary said, "Mr. Ferrari was very, very pleased to receive it." We were delighted to hear such good news.
We also had the pleasure of hand-delivering #44 to Chuck Jordan, then vice president of design for General Motors, in his office. That was quite an experience, including a personal tour of several GM advanced design studios. Chuck was a true Ferrari aficionado.
The Co-Hog Boxer was one of five new Special Editions released in 1982 to transition from our strong foundation of the original eighteen chunky models to sculptures with proportions and graphics more like their 1:1 counterpart. The others in that group are the Ferrari 512 BB LM, Mercedes 380SEC, Lamborghini Countach, and an F1 race car,
A total of 45 Co-Hog Boxers were hand-crafted between June 1982 and July 1986. They're each about 6 1/2" (16.5 cm) long. They were individually shaped from multiple pieces of Jelutong wood. Continuous improvements were made as my skills and available research materials improved. The silver/black #2 and white/white #45 are shown here for comparison.
The upper and lower bodies were built and finished separately. Four 8-32 socket head cap screws hold them together. Most 1:1 Boxers are two-toned with a color above the beltline and black below. Many were also made with a Ferrari color on and top and black below. That's true for Co-Hog Boxers too.
The silver/black example is the second one made, now more than 43 years old, and the white/white version is the last one made coming in at a spritely 39 years. Paul Allen had me make #46 for him after gifting #43.
By the time the last few examples were made, the bodies were much more svelte, and I had added fender lips made from aluminum (aluminium) beverage cans along with more detailed chin spoilers.
Wheels/tires were turned from maple and hand painted. The first 40 Boxers have deep wheels like the silver car while the last five have shallow wheels similar to the white car.
I interpreted the design of the Boxer wheels in a 10x pen and ink drawing that was reduced, transferred to a silkscreen, and then hand printed on 3M Scotchcal vinyl. I also added yellow wheel centers on random cars in the last few cars.
You may notice that the silver/black car has the 308 series wheel design while the white/white car has the correct 512 BB wheels. Strangely, the first 27 cars in the edition had the wrong wheels. I don't remember how that mix-up occurred or how it came to my attention and was fixed.
Automotive acrylic enamel paint was used for finishing.
Flat black vinyl was used for windows, vents and most other features. Headlight cover colors were varied by special request. Boxers from #21 on had tiny yellow Ferrari logo plaques on the nose.
Considering their age, I think they still look great.
I'm lucky to have both in my private collection so I can enjoy them every day.
See a few more of the 22 different Co-Hog Special Editions here.