So it wasn’t the 620 after all. Ferrari’s all-new super GT has been unveiled as the F12 Berlinetta.
Now, Ferrari wouldn’t put the Berlinetta name on this car if it were anything less than spectacular in any sense. In fact they are adamant the F12 is the most powerful and high-performance road car they’ve ever made.
Even though the car is mainly shaped by aerodynamic considerations, the Pininfarina-designed body has the characteristics of a proper Ferrari. It’s intimidating and imposing, but not something you call beautiful. The cabin is proper Ferrari as well, with lots of buttons on the steering wheel, and randomly placed knobs and dials.
The F12 is a replacement for the 599, and it kinda looks like it. But underneath the body it share little with the outgoing model. It has a completely new transaxle. The wheelbase has been shortened and the engine, dashboard and seats have been lowered in the chassis, while the new layout of the rear suspension and gearbox enabled Ferrari’s engineers to make the rear volume of the car smaller.
All that means it has a low center of gravity with more of the vehicle’s weight concentrated inside the withing the wheelbase. And all that means it has superb dynamics.
Weighing at 1525 kg, the F12 is 70kg lighter than its predecessor, and it has a much more powerful engine, so it’s bound to be much quicker. Powering the F12 is a 6.26 liter naturally-aspirated 12-cylinder developing 740-hp and 690-Nm of torque. In spite of enhanced performance, fuel consumption has been reduced by 30%, with CO2 emissions of just 350 g/km.
As for the performance, Ferrari says the F12 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds. It also completes a lap of the Fiorano circuit in 1’23”, faster than any other Ferrari road car. Top speed is over 340 km/h.
Just like the 458 Italia, this new Ferrari too is very, very technical. It has very complex aerodynamics with features like Aero Bridge which uses the bonnet to generate downforce by channelling air away from the upper part of the car to its flanks, or Active Brake Cooling, a system that opens guide vanes to the brake cooling ducts only at high operating temperatures, again reducing drag. It’s almost too technical.
It also comes with Ferrari’s latest generation carbon-ceramic brakes (CCM3) and the evolution of the magnetorheological suspension control system (SCM-E). Other high-tech stuff such as the E-Diff, ESP Premium, F1-Trac, and high-performance ABS are also present.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Engine
Type 65-degree V12
Total displacement 6262 cc
Maximum power output 740 CV at 8500 rpm
Maximum torque 690 Nm at 6000 rpm
Dimensions and weight
Length 4618 mm
Width 1942 mm
Height 1273 mm
Dry weight* 1525 kg
Weight distribution 46% front, 58% rear
Weight-power ratio 2,1 kg/CV
Performance
Maximum speed over 340 km/h
0-100 km/h 3.1 seconds
