312 T

After an 11-year wait, Ferrari was back at the height of its success, taking both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles in the same year. Niki Lauda brought the Scuderia five victories (Monaco, Belgium, Sweden, France and the United States) and Clay Regazzoni won at Monza on the day his team mate became World Champion.

This was not merely due to the new gearbox which made the car shorter and concentrated its mass: what it lacked in static weight on the rear axle was added as aerodynamic load, thanks to a more prominent wing that had to be compensated for by the front one. The suspension was modified too, with more inclined spring-shock groups on the front axle and short-armed parallelograms on the back one. The car also proved very reliable thanks to Lauda’s pickiness during the development stages.