STORY OF THE DAY: Ferrari Enlarges the P2 for Endurance Racing

On 1 January 1965, the Ferrari 365 P2 was presented at Maranello as a large-engined development of the company’s sports-prototype family. This was a presentation rather than a race, so no finishing position or championship result was attached to the occasion.

The model reflected Ferrari’s practice of supplying selected private entrants with potent endurance machinery related to its works prototypes. Increased engine capacity promised formidable performance on fast circuits, while experienced customer teams could extend the design’s competitive career beyond the immediate factory programme.

The 365 P2 used a mid-engined chassis combining tubular construction with stressed panels and carried open sports-racing bodywork. Its V12 displaced approximately 4.4 litres, emphasizing torque and straight-line performance. The design was closely related to the 330 P2 family but adapted to the needs of powerful private-team competition.

No driver is identified in the presentation title. The car’s early history instead belongs to Ferrari’s engineers, mechanics and test personnel, followed by the private entrants who raced it internationally. Their combined work carried Maranello’s prototype technology into the evolving endurance regulations of the mid-1960s.