MARANELLO, Italy – Bentley built its last W12 in April, an engine introduced by the VW Group in 2001. Mercedes and BMW bid auf wiedersehen up to 12 cylinders. But Ferrari is Ferrari. Defying trends and regulators, the company has created a completely reimagined GT that rivals the name “LaFerrari” for direct purposes: 12Cilindri.
The new Ferrari 12Cilindri was just officially launched in Miami, but I got a chance to see it in-depth two weeks ago at the company’s sleek Centro Stile (“design center”) in Maranello.
With all due respect to 812 is super fast, the spectacular Delta-themed 12Cilindri crumples and subverts the evolutionary design of its predecessor. For years now, Ferrari’s classic front-engined GTs have been overshadowed by mid-engined V8s. supercarand now the brilliant six-cylinder engine 296 GTB mixture. So extending the life of Ferrari’s hallowed V12 engine is a good thing, but only if the GT it powers also receives love and attention.
Talk about someone who attracts attention. Even as it harkens back to Ferrari’s past – including the visor-like roof strip, reminiscent of the 365 GTB4 Daytona – the 12Cilindri’s winning modernity appears to be a career breakthrough ( so far) to design director Flavio Manzoni.
Fans of ICE fuel surplus will give thanks to the 12 apostles, dining in rows of red halos, beneath the hood of a DaVinci-spec Ferrari. Those cylinders will produce a whopping 819 horsepower, up from the 812 Superfast’s 788 and befitting a track-focused engine. Episode 812. The Ferrari accelerates from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, accelerates in 7.9 seconds to 124 mph, and top speed exceeds 211 mph.
The Ferrari V12 that started it all was Gioacchino Columbo’s controversial 1.5-liter design, a 1946 design preserved in Maranello. Critics scoffed that the small displacement was better suited to a four-cylinder engine. Italian racing driver Franco Cortese has been withdrawn general consensus about Enzo: “He is a crazy person. It will take his money and finish him.”
Instead, Enzo’s once 125 C (and a 125 S) rolled out of the factory gates and into history in 1947. That 125 C suffered fuel pump problems while leading the first race, which Enzo called “a failure.” promising failure”. The snub-nosed red barchetta won six of the next 13 races – although not the Mille Miglia – generating 100 horsepower from its 60-degree V12. Ferrari wouldn’t build a road car without a front-engined V12 for 20 years, until the mid-engine V6 Dino 206 in 1967. Hence the loyalty to the 12-cylinder. Ferrari cylinders are just a matter of course, even in naturally aspirated engines. Purosangue SUVs.
Eight decades of development have bumped displacement up to 6.5 big-block liters, with the aforementioned 819 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. I dreamed of a test drive when Manzoni lifted the largest hood ever fitted to a Ferrari: a block of hot-formed aluminum long enough to form a Viper blush. The front-hinged clamshell eliminates cutouts around the hood, on a car as inspired by aviation as it is by car. Speak captor to the traditional radiator grille. The headlights are integrated into the surrounding “Daytona” strip, with knife-edge daytime running lights. A pair of asymmetrical hood vents are the only visible liquid accents. The voluptuous front and rear fenders are connected by a subtle update of Ferrari’s familiar semicircular concave line.
Once again dispelling nostalgia, Manzoni and Co. has pulled off a high-end, utilitarian drama: Wide rear windows and a carbon-fiber roof that resembles an airline flybridge. And instead of a traditional rear spoiler, that rear window merges into a pair of flaps that move like batwings at each corner. The powered winglets can be raised up to 30 degrees to increase downforce, but will not move independently. (Ferrari engineers say the weight and complexity of the dual-motor system are not justified by the aerodynamic benefits). A powerful rear diffuser juts out like a lineman’s mask, an area where function is supposed to intrude on an elegant form.
The windows and, um, “flaps” form the car’s signature Delta shape, with a contrasting body greenhouse surface color. A gem-like light blade (no round taillight, scusi) encloses a concave rear. Seen from behind, the 12Cilindri appears to be a double-width fantasy supercar: Owners better prepare to be chased by Insta-snapping fans.
Ferrari launched the coupe with a grey-white “Bianco Artico” paint job, which seemed difficult to paint – until we stepped into its Atelier (where customers choose leather and other options) to see the 12Cilindri Spider. The convertible is shown in “Verde Toscana”, the spring awakening of blue-grey accentuating every line. As in 296 GTSThe space-saving retractable hardtop opens or closes in 14 seconds at speeds up to 28 mph.
Like Rome and Purosangue, the 12Cilindri adopts a dual cockpit design that envelops the driver and passengers in sleek, nearly symmetrical cockpits. A physical Manettino drive mode selector patrols the distinctive flat-bottomed steering wheel, which unfortunately features the capacitive Start/Stop switch of other recent models, instead of analog buttons.
There is also a digital screen for passengers to use to eat noodles. But the big news is the third digital screen: A 10.3-inch central screen sits below the state-of-the-art dashboard, its surprising absence on the Purosangue and 296 models that confuses drivers. the car has to look through an overloaded (and distracting) driving screen for every last function. Ferrari executives refused to dispute suggestions that curses and complaints in multiple languages from owners may have caused this change in stance. But we’ll be realistic and say that even the most coordinated driver doesn’t want a fancy slider on the steering wheel to scroll Spotify or adjust the navigation map.
Press that tactile Start button, however, and the V12 will remind you of Ferrari’s reason for being. Ferrari offers a recording of the engine speeding up to 9,500 rpm like a Pavarotti runamok, slamming down the gears with deadly glee. Nessun Dorma indeed – or “No one will sleep” – because the wail of a Ferrari V12 will be talked about, mourned and ultimately preserved by collectors for the next century. They will also only need to store some lead-free varieties.
A completely new exhaust system, including equal-length guides for the 6-into-1 manifolds, also meets the “noble combustion order” of the 12-cylinder engine.
As on the 812 Competitionizione, the reciprocating parts of the dry-crate engine are 40% lighter. New titanium and aluminum alloy connecting rods reduce piston weight. Sliding finger trackers give the Ferrari’s imitation valvetrain F1 automotive and diamond-like carbon (DLC) surface coatings reduce friction.
Ferrari’s spectacular eight-speed dual-clutch transmission will offer distinct benefits over the seven-speed gearbox on all 812 models. Seen for the first time on SF90 Stradale, that F1 transmission offers 15% shorter gearshifts and 8% faster shifts. That should address the 812’s tendency to run out in high third and fourth gears. Relatively speaking: When I’m running through the gears on the 812, with its maximum 819 horsepower, I tend to focus on the lack of tarmac and brains, not the power.
Here, Ferrari announces the first of its naturally aspirated engine: a patented software solution that generates a firmer torque curve in third and fourth gears. The company’s engineers are a little vague on how it works, but say their “Suction Torque Shaping” helps increase the feeling of peak torque and uninterrupted momentum. In addition to the changes, Ferrari says rear-wheel torque is increased by 12% compared to previous Berlinetta V12s.
Chassis torsional rigidity is increased by 15 percent, with adjustable MagneRide suspension and 21-inch forged wheels all around. Engineers say the suspension’s ability to rotate nearly splits the difference between the 812 and the heavy-duty Compiziones. Owners choose between Michelin Pilot Sport S5 or Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires. (Are you kidding? Take it Michelin). The active spoilers work in conjunction with five vortex generators under the vehicle to guide and absorb air. The shock tower integrates recycled aluminum for the first time to cut CO2 emissions during the casting process.
The biggest benefit here seems to be the 0.8-inch shortened wheelbase. That’s not much on paper, until you add rear-wheel steering. By tightening the turning radius, this feature virtually shortens the wheelbase by 1.2 inches. Ferrari engineers say a total reduction of 2.0 inches helps create a more agile GT.
To stop a big-bodied Ferrari with a claimed dry weight of 3,432 pounds, the 12Cilindri uses the impressive brake-by-wire system from the 296 GTB, the car with the shortest stopping times in the Cavallino stable. Engineers say the 12Cilindri brakes from 62-0 mph in 107 feet, with “6D multi-axis sensors” allowing each wheel to brake independently. Side Slip Control, the big brains behind the company’s excellent traction and stability system, is now in its eighth version.
All this and more, for €395,000 to start in Italy; or closer to €435,000 for the 12Cilindri Spider due in early 2025. US pricing has yet to be set. But if you have to ask…
Between the coupe, Spider and Purosangue for garden center runs, Ferrari will have three V12 models. Executives say it’s the culmination of a decision made four years ago to continue investing in ICE powertrains, including among loyal customers who still love the V12.
“It is not up to us to impose technology,” said Enrico Galliera, marketing and commercial director.
Even now, Galliera said, Ferrari “wouldn’t be arrogant” to say that these are the last, greatest V12 models, even as the company prepares to build a new building in Maranello (expected opened in June) to serve as its headquarters. Electricity activities develop rapidly.
As for the name 12Cilindri, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, director of development, calls it a “declaration of love.” Executives joked that they would hold training sessions to help people pronounce correctly. For the record, it’s “DOH-di-chee Chill-IN-dree.” Or you can just whistle.
