It is said that the birth of a Ferrari is always a rare event that should be appreciated with the greatest respect. This may have been the case twenty years ago, but it is less so today since the prestigious Modena brand now presents one or even two major innovations each year. In 2011, the 458 Spider and the surprising FF made their mark. 2012 will be the year of the new F12berlinetta.
The heir to a long tradition of V12 GTs at the front, the F12berlinetta is simply the most powerful road Ferrari ever built. And from the figures, Ferrari has designed its car with the greatest care, with the 599 GTB now surpassed at all levels. Everything that could be improved was improved: the lowering of the centre of gravity, aerodynamics, weight. And above all, it is the new 6262cc atmospheric V12, already seen on the FF, that takes place under the long hood. The power displays the intimidating figure of 740 hp (+120 hp compared to the 599 GTB, +70 hp compared to the 599 GTO, +60 hp compared to the FF), which is a specific power of 118 hp per litre rather flattering for an atmospheric engine. The torque takes off at 690 Nm. All this is coupled with a F1 type double clutch gearbox, now traditional at Ferrari.
The F12berlinetta is more compact and lower than the 599, with a length of 4.62m (-5cm), a width of 1.94m (-2cm) and a height of 1.27m (-7cm). The weight was monitored, with a figure of 1,525 kilos (-55 kilos). The power-to-weight ratio is favourable, as you can imagine, with 21kilos/chp.
Although Ferrari did not wish to participate in the higher power bid put in place by Bugatti, the performances are still from another world: more than 340 km/h in top speed, 3.1s to go from 0 to 100 km/h, 8.5s for the 0 to 200 km/h. No comment. Ferrari also points out that its F12berlinetta broke the record of its Fiorano test track in the Ferrari road category: 1.23 min. A sign of the times: Ferrari reports average fuel consumption (15L/100) and CO2 emissions (350g/km) which, although significantly lower than the 599, are not very attractive. Especially since these figures have been calculated in an overly standardized situation, and this suggests a fuel budget and an environmental impact that is not best addressed in this article.
As we can see, the new V12 and the on-board technology (carbon-ceramic brakes, magnetic suspension, AeroBridge system, etc.) make this new Ferrari a rare object, for which a case worthy of the name was needed. And once again, it was Pininfarina who put all her talent into the design of the F12, once again succeeding in renewing the brand's design while respecting its past. We can easily recognize that it is a Ferrari, but some elements are new, such as this superb curve that signs the profile, or the refined and aggressive rear part at the same time. The bow owes a lot to the FF, with a little more consensual headlight.
Inside, the usual atmosphere is there, with an instrumentation handset featuring the tachometer and all the Ferrari atmosphere. Note the presence in front of the passenger of a screen summarizing the tachometer and speedometer data.