In amongst the plethora of famous Grand Prix cars in action at GP Live was a car that, despite never having actually raced, still attracted an interested crowd all weekend long, the dramatic-looking 1972 prototype Ferrari 312B3S "Spazzaneve' - or "snowplough". Owned today by an Italian collector it was a very welcome addition to the ranks of gleaming machines at Donington Park.

GP Live brought together Formula 1 cars from throughout the years of the sport, cars that had reached the pinnacle graced the best race tracks around the world in their day. The 1970s were particularly well represented at Donington Park over the weekend with machines such as the Brabham BT34, Matra MS120, Tyrell 001/002/006 and P34, Wolf WR1, Hesketh 308 E 77, Lotus 77, Surtees TS16/19 and 20, McLaren M23 and Fittipaldi F5A all hitting the track. Italian prestige was represented not only by two Techno cars (the 1972 PA123/3 and the 1973 E371), but also by the appearance of the very unusual Ferrari 312B3 'Spazzaneuve' prototype from 1972.

By 1972 Ferrari was on its back foot in F1 due to the chassis advances made by the British 'Garagistes'. Colin Chapman had broken the mould with the remarkable wedge-shaped Lotus 72 while Derek Gardner at Tyrell had taken a different route with the similar wedge-shaped but much shorter 005. Ferrari meanwhile had persevered with the gorgeous B2 - the car that former driver Mario Andretti was reunited with at GP Live over the weekend - but a bold step forward was now called for. And this was ushered in by design genius Mauro Forghieri, who at the time managed the chassis, engine and gearbox design as well as running the technical side of the Maranello team, and is one of F1 history's great names.
 

Amongst the many great cars that bear his signature, he produced one of his most important, even if it was quite unsuccessful, models when he created the 312B3S (S for 'Sperimentale') or the 'Spazzaneve' as it was quickly dubbed. Incorporating all the latest design elements with a wide flat floor monocoque with a short wheelbase for low polar moment, and sporting set back radiators behind a full width nose, it was powered by his magnificent 2998cc flat 12 engine.

The short wheelbase defied even the great Jackie Ickx during a brief Monza test session, held as Ferrari were aiming to have the new car, which produced around 480bhp, ready in time for a debut in the 1972 Italian Grand Prix. Ickx simply wasn't impressed by the car which proved to be quite a handful, and neither was team's official tester of the time, Arturo Merzario. Although changes were made in an attempt to improve its deficiencies the 'Spazzaneve' never raced. However this was an very important car, taking the Scuderia's thinking rapidly forward from the establish method of cigar-shaped mechanical grip racing cars and thrusting it straight into the aerodynamically-efficient downforce producing era; and the lessons learnt from the 'Spazzaneve' project gave birth to the 312T-series cars of the Niki Lauda era which brought back to Maranello a series of World Championships.