Turbocharges? Nope. Electric assistance? Think again. The 12Cilindri is a pure-bred Prancing Horse, endowed with a free-breathing engine sending a neck-snapping 610 kW exclusively to the rear axle. It’s not manual, though. Indeed, power and torque are relayed to the asphalt via a dual-clutch transmission. But no matter — The latest model in the Ferrari stable promises to be a driver’s gran tourer of note.
Revealed in coupé and, for those favouring alfresco driving, spider (convertible, if you’re not familiar with the “spider” denomination) guises, the 12Cilindri’s exterior design was inspired by the Italian marque’s iconic mid-front-mounted V12 gran tourers of old, those from the 1950s and ‘60s, specifically and, most notably, the legendary 365 GTB/4 Daytona, which was introduced to the world before the end of the latter decade. The 12Cilindri looks marvellous.
However, this Ferrari’s pièce de résistance lies beneath its front bonnet. As the 12Cilindri name would suggest, the 12Cilindri is powered by a V12, which is mounted at a 65-degree angle, goes without forced induction and, most notably, revs until an eardrum-bursting 9 500 r/min. The 6.5-litre unit produces a healthy 610 kW and 678 N.m. Peak torque is achieved when the rev needles reaches the 7 250 r/min marker. However, 80% of torque is already available from as little (for a naturally aspirated engine) 2 500 r/min. The result, a throw-you-into-the-back-of-your seat acceleration time.
According to the Maranello-based automaker, the 12Cilindri completes the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint in 2.9 seconds. However, if you are fortunate enough to have access to an unrestricted strip of tarmac, you can continue accelerating to the two-tonne marker to try and match the claimed 0-200 km/h time of 7.9 seconds. Ferrari says its latest creation tops out at 340 km/h.
However, you’ll have to bring it to a halt at some point. Ferrari claims the 12Cilindri decelerates from 200-0 km/h and 100-0 km/h over a distance of 122 m and 31.4 m, respectively. This is achieved thanks to the fitment of 398 mm (front) and 360 mm (aft) brakes, which can be found sited behind the spokes of the car’s 21-inch alloy wheels.
