Ferrari 12Cilindri deep dive preview: no electricity here, just pure V12 beauty

MARANELLO, Italy – Bentley built its last W12 engine in April, a VW Group engine introduced in 2001. Mercedes and BMW have already submitted offers Goodbye up to 12 cylinders. But a Ferrari is a Ferrari. Defying trends and regulations, the company has created a radically redesigned version of the GT with a name that rivals “LaFerrari” in terms of appearance: 12Cilindri.

The novel Ferrari 12Cilindri has just been officially unveiled in Miami, but two weeks ago I had the opportunity to inspect it closely at the company’s elegant Centro Stile (“design center”) in Maranello.

With all due respect to the 812 Superfast, the breathtaking Delta-themed 12Cilindri crushes and tosses the evolutionary design of its predecessor. For years, the classic front-engine Ferrari GT has been overshadowed by mid-engine V8 supercars and now the brilliant six-cylinder 296 GTB hybrids. So extending the life of Ferrari’s hallowed V12 is a good thing, but only if the GT it powers also receives some love and attention.

Talk about an attention-grabbing device. Even as it nods to Ferrari’s past – including a visor-like hood scoop that’s a cheeky reference to the 365 GTB4 Daytona – the 12Cilindri’s winning modernity seems (so far) to be a low point in the mic’s career for design chief Flavio Manzoni.

Fans of excess ICE fuel will thank the 12 apostles sitting in rows at dinner with a red halo under the hood of a DaVinci-spec Ferrari. These cylinders will deliver a decidedly blistering 819 horsepower, up from 788 in the 812 Superfast and on par with the track-focused 812 Competizione. The Ferrari accelerates from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, accelerates to 124 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed in excess of 211 mph.

It all started with the Ferrari V12, a controversial 1.5-liter design by Gioacchino Columbo, whose 1946 designs are preserved in Maranello. Critics mocked that the diminutive displacement was better suited to a four-cylinder engine. Italian racing driver Franco Cortese recalls the general consensus on Enzo: “He’s crazy. This will eat his money and kill him.

Enzo instead disposable 125 C (and the single 125 S) rolled out of the factory and made history in 1947. While running its first race, the 125 C developed fuel pump problems, which Enzo called “a promising failure.” The red snub-nosed Barchetta won six of the next 13 races – though not the Mille Miglia – with 100 horsepower from its 60-degree V12 engine. Ferrari would not build a road car without a V12 engine at the front for 20 years, until the mid-mounted V6 Dino 206 in 1967. So Ferrari’s loyalty to 12-cylinder engines is natural, also in the case of the naturally aspirated Purosangue SUV.

Eight decades of development have bumped displacement to a massive 6.5 liters, with the aforementioned 819 horses and 500 pound-feet of torque. I’m already dreaming of a test drive when Manzoni lifts the largest hood ever fitted to a Ferrari: a single piece of hot-formed aluminum long enough to make the Viper blush. A front-opening flap eliminates cuts around the hood in a car inspired by aeronautics as much as cars. To talk give up to the classic grid. The headlights are integrated into the surrounding “Daytona” fascia with blade-like daytime running lights. A pair of asymmetrical vents on the hood provide the only visual break in the fluid form. Sexy, swollen front and rear fenders are joined by a subtle update to Ferrari’s familiar line of semi-circular flares.

Foregoing nostalgia once again, Manzoni and Co. they opted for high, functional drama at the rear: the extensive rear window and carbon fiber roof echo the air navigation bridge. Instead of a classic rear spoiler, this rear window merges into a pair of movable batwing-like flaps at each corner. The electric winglets can raise up to 30 degrees to raise downforce, but they do not move independently. (Ferrari engineers say the weight and complexity of the twin-engine system are not justified by aerodynamic improvements.) The aggressive rear diffuser that sticks out like a lineman’s hood is the only area where functionality arguably disrupts the elegant form.

The window and, er, “bat flaps” create the car’s signature Delta shape, with the greenhouse surface in a contrasting body color. Jewel-like delicate blade (without round tail lights, Sorry) surrounds the concave back. Viewed from the rear, the 12Cilindri appears to be a double-wide supercar fantasy: owners had better be prepared to be chased by Insta-taking fans.

Ferrari showed off the coupe in a gray and white “Bianco Artico” paint job that seemed challenging to cover – until we stepped into its Atelier (where customers choose leather and other options) to take a look at the 12Cilindri Spider. The convertible was shown in “Verde Toscana”, a spring awakening of green and gray that highlighted every line. Like the 296 GTS, the space-saving retractable hardtop opens and closes in 14 seconds at speeds of up to 45 km/h.

Like the Roma and Purosangue, the 12Cilindri uses a dual-cockpit design that surrounds the driver and passenger in attractive, almost symmetrical sets. The Manettino’s physical drive mode selector patrols the striking flat-bottomed steering wheel, unfortunately with a capacitive start/stop switch on other recent models rather than an analog button.

The passenger can also utilize the digital screen. But the news that stops the press is the third digital display: a 10.3-inch center screen tucked beneath the artsy dashboard, whose irritating absence on Purosangue and 296 models forced drivers to scan the overloaded (and distracting) driver display for every last feature. Ferrari management disagreed with suggestions that multilingual swearing and complaints from owners could have caused this change of heart. But we’ll go out on a limb and say that even the most coordinated driver doesn’t want a finicky slider on the steering wheel to scroll through Spotify or adjust navigation maps.

But press the touch start switch and the V12 will remind you of the reason for Ferrari’s existence. The Ferrari starts a video in which the engine revs to 9,500 rpm like a runaway Pavarotti, downshifting with murderous glee. Nobody sleeps Actually – or “None Shall Sleep” – because collectors will talk about, mourn and ultimately preserve the wail of the Ferrari V12 into the next century. They’ll just have to keep some unleaded gas.

The all-new exhaust system, which includes equal-length runners for the 6-in-1 manifolds, also highlights the “noble combustion order” of the 12-cylinder mill.

As in the 812 Competizione, the piston parts of the dry-sump engine are 40% lighter. Titanium connecting rods and a novel aluminum alloy in the pistons save more weight. Valve finger followers mimic Ferrari F1 cars, while diamond-like carbon fiber (DLC) surface coatings reduce friction.

Ferrari’s spectacular eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox should provide physical benefits over the seven-speed gearbox in all 812 models. First seen in the SF90 Stradale, the F1 gearbox delivers 15% shorter gear ratios and 8% faster gear changes. This should solve the 812’s tendency to lose power in high third and fourth gears. Relatively speaking, when I hit various gears in the 812 with a maximum of 819 horses, I focus on the lack of runway and brains, not the power.

Here, Ferrari introduces naturally aspirated engine solutions for the first time: a patented software solution that has helped develop a more strong torque curve in third and fourth gears. The company’s engineers weren’t sure how it worked, but said their “aspiration torque shaping” increased the sensation of maximum torque and uninterrupted momentum. Add to that the changes and Ferrari claims rear-wheel torque has increased by 12% compared to previous V12 Berlinettas.

Chassis torsional stiffness increases by 15% thanks to the adjustable MagneRide suspension and 21-inch forged wheels. Engineers say suspension torsion roughly splits the difference between the 812 and the hardcore Competizione. Owners choose between Michelin Pilot Sport S5 or Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires. (Are you kidding? Get Michelins). Energetic air flaps work with five vortex generators under the chassis, which are used to remove and remove air. The shock towers utilize recycled aluminum for the first time to reduce CO2 emissions during casting.

The biggest advantage seems to be the shortening of the wheelbase by 0.8 inch. It’s not much on paper until you add rear wheel steering. By increasing the turning radius, this feature virtually shortens the wheelbase by another 1.2 inches. Ferrari engineers say the total reduction of 2.0 inches helped create a significantly more agile GT.

To stop the mighty Ferrari with a claimed curb weight of 3,432 pounds, the 12Cilindri uses an impressive drag-by-wire braking system from the 296 GTB, the fastest-stopping car in the Cavallino stable. Engineers say the 12Cilindri brakes from 62 to 0 mph in a distance of 100 feet, and “6D multi-axis sensing” allows each wheel to brake independently. Side Slip Control, the mastermind behind the company’s out-of-this-world traction and stability systems, 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, which is expected to arrive in early 2025. U.S. pricing has not been set. But if you have to ask…

Between the coupe, Spider and Purosangue intended for utilize in garden centers, Ferrari will have three V12 models. Management said this is the culmination of a decision made four years ago to continue investing in ICE powertrains, including for committed customers who continued to demand the V12.

“It’s not up to us to impose technology,” said Enrico Galliera, director of marketing and trade.

Even now, Galliera said, Ferrari “will not be arrogant enough” to say these are their final, best and uncompromising V12 models, even as the company prepares a novel building in Maranello (due to open in June) to house its rapidly expanding electrical operations.

As for the name 12Cilindri, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, development director, called it a “declaration of love.” Principals joked that they would offer training sessions to assist people pronounce the word correctly. For the record, it’s “DOH-di-chee Chill-IN-dree.” Or you can just whistle.