What the car is and where it came from
The 330 P4 belongs to the Ferrari P series, V12 rear mid-engined two-seat prototypes built mainly for the factory team. Made in 1967, it was a mid-engined V12 endurance car intended to replace the 330 P3 of the previous year. 1967 was a banner year for Ferrari.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The P4 is a mid-engined, V12 endurance car. Its three-valve cylinder head was modelled on those of Italian Grand Prix-winning Formula One cars. To that was added the same fuel injection system as the P3, for an output of up to 450 hp.
What it gets right
The results. The P3 had won the 1000 km of Monza in 1966, and the P4 won the same race in 1967. At the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona two P4s and one 412 P crossed the line together, in first (0846), second (0856) and third (0844), a photo finish to answer Ford’s photograph of its GT40 Mk. II cars at Le Mans in 1966.
What it does not
It does not exist in numbers. Only four P4-engined cars were ever made: three new 330 P4s and one upgraded P3 chassis (0846). It also ran out of road. The 412 P and P4 were not eligible for the 1968 International Championship of Makes, because their engines were too large for the new 3 litre Group 6 category, and too few had been built for the 5 litre Group 4 category, which needed at least 50 units. Ferrari did not contest the championship for a year in protest.
What it changed
It carried the P3’s fuel injection into a car with a three-valve, Formula One-style head, and it won at Monza and Daytona in 1967. Its size and its numbers also put it outside the 1968 rules: the 412 P and P4 were too big and too few.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It is for readers who follow Ferrari’s endurance racing in the 1960s. It is not for anyone wanting a clean chassis history. The car numbered 0846 was scrapped because of earlier accident damage and fire damage at Le Mans in 1967, and written off Ferrari’s books. Cars 0858 and 0860 were converted to 350 Can-Am cars and later given P4 bodies. Car 0856 was sold to a new owner in 2020.
Is it worth your time
Yes, briefly, for the Daytona finish alone. It is a short-lived car that won in its year and then lost its place to a rule change.
