FIRST LOOK: FERRARI UNLEASHES THE 830-HORSEPOWER 12CILINDRI COUPE AND SPIDER FROM THE STABLE

Internal combustion may come across as ancient technology to some, but Ferrari once again reminded us that nothing beats a classic Italian-bred front-engine V-12 supercar by pulling the wraps off of its latest, the 12Cilindri. Recently revealed at an "exclusive" event during the F1 Grand Prix in Miami, Florida, the 12Cilindri enters the world to replace the aging but still fabulous 812 Superfast.

Ferrari recently dipped its toes a little deeper into the electrification pond with the SF90 Stradale and more recently, the 296, after its first hybrid, the LaFerrari. For their new front-engine V-12 grand tourer flagship, however, the automotive maestros of Modena kept it traditional. Typically, when a range topper like the SF90 Stradale hits production, it's a sign of Ferrari's new trajectory in terms of styling, engineering, and philosophy. Under those pretenses, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to expect the hybridization of all of its succeeding models.

But the 12Cilindri, as its Italian name, dodici Cilindri, suggests, is instead a simple celebratory ode to the dying V-12 and its place in a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive grand touring two-door. There's no hybrid powertrain or any attempt at electrification whatsoever, so it's not for the ultra rich to virtue signal their concerns for climate change or the environment. Rather, it's just a good 'ole fashioned internal combustion engine powered by 12 naturally-aspirated cylinders of perfection, ready to burn refined liquefied decomposed dead dinosaurs and make your spine tingle as it hits its 9,500 RPM redline.

Twelve Thundering Naturally-Aspirated Cylinders

That V-12 is called the F140HD, and it actually is a carryover item from the outgoing 812 model, more specifically the limited-production 812 Competizione. It still displaces 6.5-liters, produces the same 830 CV (cheval-vapeur, metric horsepower) or 818 horsepower. Torque peaks at 500 pound-feet at 7,250 RPM, but despite the lack of forced induction, Ferrari says the majority of it is available at around a low 2,500 RPM.

It may be slightly old news, but engineers still found ways to make improvements. Output is the same but the F140HD still received a rebalanced crankshaft and updated titanium connecting rods, all to reduce overall weight of the rotating assembly. The pistons are now made of a different, lighter aluminum alloy. A bespoke valvetrain system design features a slide finger cam follower made of DLC or Diamind-Like-Carbon coating that helps to reduce friction, all of which better enables the lofty 9,500 RPM redline and increased throttle response.

Its fuel injectors fire up to 350 bar or 5,076 PSI while benefiting from a software remap. A revised intake manifold design offers shorter piping and thus, shorter distances that air intake has to travel, which means better breathing into the cylinders. Though it also now has a variable inlet valve that can also adjust the length of the intake piping to vary depending on the engine's firing intervals to maximize the aspiration of the combustion process. And engineers reshaped the camshafts with more aggressive timing, all of which increases the availability of torque at lower engine speeds.

Basically, all this fancy stuff means that in proper conditions and with launch control, 60 MPH happens in a brisk 2.9 seconds with 120 MPH happening just a short time later, at 7.8 seconds. Keep the pedal planted all the way and with some cojones, the 12Cilindri will supposedly kiss the 211 MPH figure, if not more. Driving only the rear wheels is the same eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, but it's been slightly revised internally to change gears around 30% faster than the previous unit.

It may not be that much faster than the 812 Superfast. But it's still bat-poop-insane fast. And really, if you do want to experience hyper-fast in a Ferrari, and potentially revisit your semi-digested lunch, there's the SF90 Stradale. Speaking of which, Ferrari also incorporated the SF90's brake-by-wire technology into the 12Cilindri.

Still Able to Drop Its Top

The outgoing 812 came in convertible form known as the 812 GTS, which marked the first-ever full series production V-12-powered open-top model in over 50 years. Previous open-top versions of its flagship 12-cylinder grand tourer, such as the 599 SA Aperta, the 575 Superamerica, were limited production models made for a small, special group of customers. The 12 Cilindri continues the revitalized trend by being available in both hardtop coupe and Spider form.

It uses a retractable hardtop rather than a softtop, providing the secure feeling of a coupe with the option for open-air driving to allow all the V-12's lovely exhaust notes to permeate through the cabin. Because the 12Cilindri still retains most of its underpinnings and suspension gear from the 812, not much change was needed for engineers to keep the 12Cilindri Spider's weight low so to have minimal impact on performance. Despite having a bulky and complicated folding hardtop mechanism, the 12Cilindri Spider weighs 132 pounds, or 60 kilograms, more than the 12Cilindri Coupe, at 3,571 pounds in total (3,439 for the coupe), thanks to tactics and weight-saving strategies learned from the 812.

A New Departure From the Old Design

Ferrari claims the 12Cilindri's shape takes inspiration from its iconic grand tourers from the 1950's and 1960's with the legendary Colombo V-12. And while the general shape and overall profile of the 12Cilindri resembles some vintage silhouettes like the 250 GT and the 275, it doesn't hide that it's a completely new design from the ground up, one that's a clear departure from the angular and aggressive curves that shaped the 812 and the 488.

This time around, it looks like a concept car that went straight into production and is more inspired by the futuristic concepts built to inspire Ferrari's production coupes of the '50s and '60s. Its two-tone color theme with the semi-blacked out roof and rear trunk quarters give off the impression of an all-glass covering like you'd find on some futuristic Hot Wheels model, while its long and swooping hood, secondary-colored nose panel, and relatively thin-shaped front air duct pays homage to classics like the 365 Daytona.

The coupe sports more of a fastback-inspired sloping rear window that extends to the end of the trunkline. The Spider on the otherhand features more of a barchetta-style convertible where the rear trunk panel is shaped with buttresses behind the rear seats to improve aerodynamics with the top down.

But all of these design elements aren't just out of sheer flamboyance and eyecandy as it's all based around heavy collaboration between Ferrari's engineers and designers. In a delicate balance of form following function, those trunk buttresses directly behind the rear seat keep the cabin quiet from wind buffering when the top is down, enabling for "normal" conversations to be had at speeds of up to and beyond 120 MPH. The large diameter wheels, while filling the gaps nicely for a clean appearance, measure in at a massive 21 inches not just at the request of designers, but to allow for 5% shorter gear ratios in the dual-clutch transmission's lower gears, which contributes to it shifting faster than the previous transmission, and a 12% increase in torque delivery to the wheels compared to previous arrangements.

Although a V-12 Ferrari isn't likely to make climate change activists and environmentalists happy and joyful, Ferrari still prides itself on being environmentally friendly where it can be, utilizing Alcantara made with 65% recycled polyester. For the first time, the 12Cilindri is the first production Ferrari to use a secondary alloy made of 100% recycled material for the shock towers of the transmission's main subframe. The result is a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of around 146 kg for every car produced.

The interior cabin also benefits from a complete redesign, featuring a multi-level dashboard design that envelopes the forward view with shapes that extend and blend into the door panel trim. The result is a "dual-cockpit-like" ambiance that cocoons the two front occupants. On the dashboard, the 12Cilindri gets an updated Human Machine Interface infotainment system based off of the one from the 812. It retains the 812's 10.25-inch touchscreen display while a larger 15.6-inch screen displays instrumentation for the driver.

Passengers aren't left without a screen either, as a separate 8.8-inch screen sits in front of the passenger seat. Should you, for some reason, get bored with the 12-cylinders' symphony (no idea why or how you could), an optional 15-speaker HiFi Burmester sound system delivers up to 1600 watts of listening pleasure, with the company's latest Ring Tweeter technology that reduces high-frequency distortion.

Pricing hasn't been officially announced just yet, but since you had to ask, it ain't no Honda Civic. With the 812 Superfast retailing for around $429,000, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a similar, if not considerably pricier MSRP, with the Spider being even more.

2024-05-04T00:04:41Z dg43tfdfdgfd