The Ferrari 12Cilindri has just been unveiled and we already see the first camouflaged example on the Italian street!
At the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Ferrari 12Cilindri was recently introduced as the successor to the over seven-year-old 812. In fact, the new 12Cilindri is an evolution of the 812, or rather an 812 Competizione refined with a new body. Design-wise, the new model differs significantly from the previous 812. The round taillights have been replaced with squished horizontal units. The front is reminiscent of the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. Mechanically, it's familiar but masterful. Under the long hood lies a 6.5-liter V12 without turbos producing 830 horsepower and 692 Nm of torque. The roar of this naturally aspirated gem doesn't cease until a dizzying 9500 revolutions per minute. Impressive, but this spectacle comes directly from the fierce 812 Competizione, now in unlimited form, although it has undoubtedly been sold out for years. The difference from the 812 is that it has been available as a Spider since its launch. The 812 GTS was introduced in the autumn of 2019, 2.5 years after the Superfast.
The 12Cilindri could well become what the F8 was for the V8: a final model bidding farewell. How did that work with the F8? For decades, there was the V8 mid-engine model range, continually evolving. The 360 was introduced at the beginning of this century and became the best-selling Ferrari of all time. This evolved towards the F430 and 458. There were targeted limited versions of each (Challenge Stradale, Scuderia, Speciale). After the 458, a limited model based on it was released to showcase the V8 naturally aspirated engine, the Sergio. The 488 was visually an evolution of the 458 but received an entirely new powertrain. This time the V8 had turbos. We still find this engine in the Roma and also in the California T and Portofino. The displacement was increased to four liters in the SF90. There was also a hardcore version of the 488, the Pista. The successor to the 488 was the F8. As a coupe, it was called the F8 Tributo. This F8 was based on the 488 Pista and looked very similar technically but with a new appearance. Analyzing the model name, it means a tribute to the Ferrari 8. In other words, a tribute to the legendary Ferrari V8. The F8 was discontinued a year ago, marking the end of the Ferrari V8 mid-engine model range. And what about the SF90? That's a plug-in hybrid operating in a significantly higher segment.
It hasn't been confirmed, but there's certainly a chance Ferrari will do the same with the new 12Cilindri. Largely identical from underneath to the powerful 812 Competizione, but with a new look and without restrictions. The same idea as with the F8. Furthermore, the name resembles the F8. 12Cilindri literally means the name of the engine, which was indeed the F8. Therefore, it could well be that Ferrari will produce the 12Cilindri for about three more years in unlimited numbers and that this will then happen with the front-engine V12 GT models, as we have known them for decades. Given the increasingly stringent CO2 regulations, this is not unthinkable. Of course, it's not necessary, and we also hope that there will be a successor with a V12 after this 12Cilindri. It was already thought that the 812 would be the last model with a V12 in this series, but fortunately, that turned out to be wrong. It was also not assumed that the Purosangue would get a V12, but it did.
Whether it's the last model with a V12 or not, the launch will take some time. Here we see the first non-mule example from Maranello appearing on the website. The contours clearly indicate that it's the new 12Cilindri. Hopefully, we'll see the first examples this summer! In any case, we can enjoy a V12 naturally aspirated engine in a Ferrari for a few more years, in no less than two models. Who would have dared to dream that five years ago?
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