Quote Originally Posted by ErWin76 View Post
Only car i can think of is Isdera Spyder 036i.
Thanks for the response!

Quote Originally Posted by f6fhellcat13 View Post
They're pretty bulky: if you imagine a car's engine simplified into a rectangular prism (with the extremes of the engine defining those edges), you want to reduce the surface area of that prism to reduce the prominence of any given protuberance. So while flat 12s are quite shallow, they are very wide and are limiting in that respect. Especially in Ferraris that need the engine to be removed (often through the bottom) during regular service, it makes sense to have a smaller (narrower/shorter) V12 peg in that engine bay hole. I don't think Ferrari particularly cares about the ease of service with their customer cars, but marketing dictates that what the racers do, the roadcars must do as well; more on that in a moment. Quick maintenance is critical in endurance racing, so ease-of-access is a priority. Being able to box in the engine compartment more-thoroughly is good for rigidity; essentially broader "framerails" (or monocoque equivalent) and a narrower engine can only really be overcome with a flat engine by using that engine as a stressed member. Ferrari did that with the F50 (with a V-engine) and it seems to be once bitten, twice shy.

Back to racecars: one of the big drivers for Ferrari to ditch the flat engines in F1 was actually their low placement. With their wide cylinder hears, the size of the venturi tunnels under the car was limited compared to the British garagistes running the far-more-compact DFV. Thus the Brits were able to push their aero much further within the footprint of the car. Ferrari bowed to this pressure with the supersession by the 126C of the 312 series of cars. Once again, the racers use Vs, so the roadcars get them too.
Thanks for that explanation!