Owner: Bob Coates
On Nov. 30, 1974, this 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BBLM (serial #18139) became the first Ferrari Boxer to come to America. Before arriving in America, the Ferrari factory used 18139 as its 1974 show car at the Torino Auto Show. It was the last competition car built by the North American Racing Team (NART). Other than the chassis, the entire car has been modified. To lighten the car, hundreds of holes were drilled in every imaginable place. While the car is clearly a Ferrari Boxer, about the only original body part is the roof.
Owner Bob Coates never intended to show the BBLM, originally purchasing it as a track car. For 32 years, it has been driven hard at roughly 150 Ferrari Club track events and the Ferrari Historic Challenge Series. Hours before the start of the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans, then owner Luigi Chinetti got a call from the Ferrari factory telling him they had a competition 512 motor available at the factory if he wanted it. The team's mechanics immediately began removing the 365 motor, while one of the drivers drove to the factory, picked up the 512 motor and returned to the track where the mechanics installed it in time for the start of the race. The car went on to finish 16th overall and third in its class.