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The Ferrari that was named Brigitte Bardot
With the passing of Brigitte Bardot, Europe loses not only a film legend, but also a cultural symbol of pure beauty, freedom and brashness. Bardot was not an actress like the others. She was an era. An attitude. A presence that ignored the rules. And that is exactly why her name lives on… in one of the most iconic Ferraris ever built.
Welcome to the story of the BB.
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A Ferrari with a secret name
In the early seventies, Ferrari faced an almost impossible task. The Daytona had set the bar absurdly high, but Maranello wanted to go further. More radical. Faster. More modern. The new supercar needed a twelve-cylinder engine, mounted centrally, and still had to remain as desirable as its long-bonneted predecessor.
A technical revolution, then. And an aesthetic nightmare. Because how do you make a mid-engined supercar elegant, sensual and timeless?
The magic of Pininfarina
The answer came from Pininfarina, more specifically from the mind of designer Leonardo Fioravanti. What he drew was nothing less than a masterpiece: low, wide, muscular, with a wedge-shaped nose and a cockpit that seemed to almost float over the front axle.
So beautiful, in fact, that something special happened in Maranello.
Engineers, designers and technicians began calling the car “Brigitte Bardot” among themselves. Not as a joke. Not ironically. But out of pure admiration. Because the car had the same impact as she did: unmistakable, provocative, irresistible.
BB, then.
Officially: Berlinetta Boxer
Unofficially: Brigitte Bardot
When the car was unveiled at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, 365 GT4 BB was neatly badged on its flank. Officially, that stood for Berlinetta Boxer. A clever cover story.
But insiders knew better. Because:
Berlinetta had historically been a term for front-engined Ferraris
Boxer was technically incorrect: the engine was not a true boxer, but a 180° V12
Coincidence? Of course not. The truth stayed under the radar, but the nickname lived on. Just like Bardot herself: officially an actress, in reality a phenomenon.
Just as irresistible as she was
The Ferrari 365 GT4 BB did exactly what Bardot always did: it conquered the world without apologising. Its low nose, wide hips and brutal V12 made it as controversial as it was desired. This was Ferrari's first true mid-engined twelve-cylinder for the road. A break with the past. A statement.
Just as Bardot once was in cinema, fashion and culture.
