Road - Dream Machine

Ferrari has today unveiled its new F12berlinetta ahead of its official debut at the Geneva International Motor Show.

Claimed to be the most powerful and high performance Ferrari road car ever, the F12berlinetta’s 6262cc, 65° V12 engine delivers unprecedented performance and revs for a naturally-aspirated 12-cylinder.

It’s maximum power output is 740 CV (Cavalli Vapore – which is the Italian form of horsepower!) with a peak torque figure of 690 Nm, 80 per cent of which is already available at just 2,500 rpm. Ferrari says this “provides an unrelenting surge of acceleration all the way to the 8,700 rpm limit”.

An F1 dual-clutch transmission is used which has closer gear ratios developed specifically for this car’s performance.

The F12berlinetta boasts a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.1 kg/CV while fuel consumption has been reduced by 30%, with CO₂ emissions of just 350 g/km.

Ferrari’s traditional transaxle layout has been altered to cope too. The wheelbase has been shortened and the engine, dashboard and seats have been lowered in the chassis, while the new rear suspension layout and gearbox enabled Ferrari’s engineers to make the rear volume of the car smaller. The overall result is a very compact car with a lower centre of gravity that is further back in the chassis, and new standards of aerodynamic efficiency.

Scaglietti designed an all-new spaceframe chassis and bodyshell using 12 different kinds of alloys. This has resulted in a 20 per cent increase in structural rigidity while reducing weight to just 1525 kg (70 kg less than the previous V12 coupé) with an ideal distribution between the axles (54 per cent over the rear).

As far as the aerodynamics are concerned, downforce has been boosted by 76 per cent (123 kg at 200 km/h) while drag has been significantly reduced (the Cd is just 0.299). This is down to a couple of intriguing features, one of which is the ‘Aero Bridge’ which uses the bonnet to generate downforce by channelling air away from the upper part of the car to its flanks where it interacts with the wake from the wheel wells to decrease drag. The second is Active Brake Cooling, a system that opens guide vanes to the brake cooling ducts only at high operating temperatures, again reducing drag.

 

The F12berlinetta’s impressive technical specifications are completed by Ferrari’s latest generation carbon-ceramic brakes (CCM3) and the evolution of the magnetorheological suspension control system (SCM-E). As is now traditional with all Ferraris, its control systems (E-Diff, ESP Premium, F1-Trac, and high-performance ABS) are all fully integrated.

The result is a 0-100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) time in 3.1 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds. Apparently it has also completed a lap of the Fiorano circuit in 1’23”, faster than any other Ferrari road car.

Now, where is the nearest Euro Millions Lottery outlet?