When it comes to an objective review, the Ferrari 12Cilindri poses a two-fold problem. The first is that it’s an 830hp, V12 Ferrari; as time is inevitably called on cars like these (or so it would seem), it’s easy to look even more favourably on them. All the way back to the return of this type of Ferrari almost 30 years ago with the 550 Maranello, they’ve all been pretty special. Which leads us to issue number two: the 12Cilindri’s predecessor, the 812 Superfast, is probably this writer’s favourite new car of the past decade. Its combination of feral V12 energy and chassis immediacy didn’t make for the best GT, but heck was it thrilling. If the 12Cilindri can retain that effervescence while introducing just a bit more civility, it’ll be a spectacular Ferrari.
Even its most ardent fans might have conceded that the 812 had some odd angles. It sometimes looked a bit like a Corvette, put simply, which was unfortunate. No such danger this time around. That Daytona-esque front end gives it an unmistakable Ferrari identity, and the rear end of the 12C (as some are calling it already) is nothing if not distinctive. You’ll know when you see one, that’s for certain, even if it’s not in Giallo Monte Carlo, this design is much more of a step on than was the change from F12 to 812. Arguably pictures haven’t really done this car justice yet, either, as in the metal this Ferrari is handsome and purposeful where it was perhaps a tad gawky to begin with. As an (imaginary) 812 owner for many years now, the mere sight of the 12C could prove very persuasive indeed. The combination of traditional Ferrari cues with modern flourishes is very attractive.
The interior is less brilliant. While there are nice touches, like easy shortcuts to disabling the ADAS, a cool digital display and a still-lovely manettino, a lot of it feels quite fiddly. Having previously tried to cut the haptic wheel buttons a bit of slack in the Purosangue, it’s clear now that they just aren’t a solution; if they have to be disabled once not in use for 15 seconds, only to be woken up again when required, the design is flawed. Often you’ll revert to those mysterious buttons and toggles behind a Ferrari wheel to change station or track and adjust the volume, because the thumb controls take too much concentration. The new centre screen is fine, even if it's sited a bit low and with the features most likely to be switched between (phone, media, HVAC) on the furthest side of the display for this LHD car. Having the nose lift and the heated screens closest to the wheel seems odd. Sometimes the screen could seem a little unresponsive. Or maybe not - it's easy to get distracted in a 211mph+ Ferrari.
Probably the trick is to get everything set just so before moving off, because you'll find it hard to tear yourself away from the truly sensational V12. Now more than ever it feels like an enormous privilege to be exposed to such a masterpiece of internal combustion. Hybrids are better than ever, of course, though they add weight and the artificiality that comes with knowing that the engine is being assisted while the battery is juiced. Here there’s something hugely gratifying about knowing that every march forward from low revs, canter through the mid range or furious romp to the limiter is achieved by nothing more than a dozen combustion chambers and a lot of super unleaded.
The 6.5 is an even more spectacular engine than last time around. In 812 Competizione spec now, the V12 has gained some power (up 30hp) and lost a bit of torque (down 30lb ft), so don’t expect it to haul like a Revuelto or the upcoming Vanquish. But 500lb ft is plenty to mill about with, and if the trade off is a final few revs like this then it’s more than worth it. Perhaps not even the Lamborghini howls to 9,500rpm with such abandon, the appetite for revs more like a superbike v-twin than something as large and as grand as a V12. The sound is spellbinding, so much so that Ferrari put an embargo on any drive-by clips for those attending the press launch; hopefully you’ll agree that it was worth the wait, somehow both harder edged and more melodic than what came before.
Ferrari made the best DCTs in the world when the 812 Superfast was new, and it still does, meaning the eight-speed is another ever-so-slight improvement over what went before. Honestly, in Sport and Race with a lot of throttle in use, the upchanges wallop through like this is a sequential racing car, only to revert the next moment to unassuming and dutiful automatic fit for a Rolls-Royce. Seldom do powertrains possess such duality. This can be entirely agreeable company in automatic below 4,000rpm, pretty damn exciting from there until the first shift light at 7,000rpm or so, then little short of life affirming from there until the blue ones. Without checking the stats beforehand, it really did feel like the 12Cilindri was getting faster and faster and faster as the revs grew - they weren’t there just for show. Turns out 830hp is made at 9,250rpm, just 250rpm short of the limiter, or 1,000rpm higher than an F12berlinetta produced 740hp. All hail titanium rods and lighter alloy pistons. Mad V12 supercars aren’t done just yet.
But perhaps the biggest change is in driving the Ferrari at more modest speeds. Compared to the 812, the 12C certainly feels less busy when not at full pelt. A bit less unwanted noise, a bit more feel, just an easier way to while away the boring miles before getting your fix at the next available opportunity. Ferrari being Ferrari, it has integrated a lot of technology seamlessly; you’d never tell that the rear-wheel steering now operates independently on each wheel, for example, it’s just a very accurate, very precise big V12. The intimidation that ought to come from almost twice the power of an AMG A45 through two rear tyres (not massive 315-sections, in fact) never materialises because you're more dialled into the car's handling.
This still isn’t the most relaxing 12-cylinder car in the world, however, and that should be noted. Everything is better cushioned than before, the Bumpy Road setting smothering yet more rough edges, though this remains a fizzy, urgent kind of GT more than a mellow, unassuming one. It’ll tolerate cruising better than ever, though really it wants to be let loose; typically those priorities are the other way around for this class of car, and it’s what makes the 12C, as with the Superfast, so exhilarating. It looks like a continent crushing GT, but beneath the suave exterior beats the heart of a supercar. It’s just that the compromise is better struck now.
A brief go on Goodyear’s test track in Luxembourg inevitably exposes the Ferrari a tad, a little reluctant in low-speed turns despite the best efforts of the clever steering. But that’s not really what this car is for. In high speed corners it’s epic, apparently never happier than balancing between grip and slip like an old racing car (which assists like Side Slip Control 8.0 are only too happy to encourage) with the backing vocals from the V12. The brakes are brilliant, too, with ABS Evo from the 296 helping confidence all the way through the travel. You’d never know it was by-wire. Following a 12Cilindri as the active aero flaps deploy really is a sight to behold. Assuming this passes the required noise tests (and there’s a straight long enough), extending as many gears as possible beyond 9,000rpm is (surprise, surprise) intoxicating.
So it's pretty epic, then, the 12Cilindri, broadening the bandwidth of the 812 Superfast in useful fashion. There’s nothing comparable with the engine out front that can be so agile and so exciting, while feeling a little more agreeable than previously in everyday driving. It would be hard, iffy screen aside, to want for more from a new Ferrari V12. And yet...
Lamborghini has moved from flawed but fabulous Aventador to genuinely staggering Revuelto; the upcoming Vanquish has more than 100hp over a DBS. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a lingering sense that the 12Cilindri doesn’t move things on as far from the 812 Superfast as those alternatives have (or look likely to). The advances of the Revuelto are clear from the first gearchange; it takes a little longer for the 12C’s improvements to become clear. The flipside of that, of course, is to suggest that the 812 was already somewhere near the pinnacle of front-engined 12-cylinder supercars; its replacement has smoothed off a few rough edges, further bolstered the tech arsenal and introduced a handsome new look into the mix. Which doesn’t sound like a bad way to refresh a truly great Ferrari.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 FERRARI 12CILINDRI
Engine: 6,496cc, V12
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 830@9,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 500@7,250rpm
0-62mph: 2.9sec
Top speed: 'over 211mph'
Weight: 1,560kg (dry, with lightweight options)
MPG: under homologation
CO2: under homologation
Price: from £336,500
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