With Ferrari officially set to make the jump to hybridisation, the marque’s new 12 Cilindri comes as something of a bittersweet farewell: the last naturally aspirated consumer car to roll off the line at Maranello.
Elegant, powerful, and loud to the point of (almost) obscenity, we headed to Luxembourg to experience the launch of Ferrari’s purist-geared atmo swansong. Read our full review below.
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So what’s the story behind the Ferrari 12 Cilindri?
This is the latest, greatest, and likely last of the naturally aspirated V12-engined grand tourers that Ferrari is famous for. As old man Enzo Ferrari himself said:
“The 12 cylinder will always be the original Ferrari. So everything else is a derivation.”
It’s also now the only natmo V12 you can buy, because everyone else has given up on squeezing a power plant like that through emissions regulations.
Who’s the buyer?
Only the very well-heeled Ferrari collector should even apply to own the 12 Cilindri (it sounds better when an Italian says it — “dodici cilindri!”) and the company will decide who is allowed to have one, so it’s an exclusive club. And there’s already a two-year waiting list.
Tell us about your first impressions.
Since it was raining in Luxembourg when we arrived to drive this hugely powerful, rear-wheel-drive Ferrari, my first impression was that I was in great danger of doing something terrible to something so beautiful (sure enough, one of my colleagues spun off in the wet and destroyed one that very afternoon).
I also couldn’t get over the proportions. The bonnet is truly imposing, while the cabin sits way back, almost over the rear wheels. Weird but wonderful.
Give us the top line on performance. What’s it like to drive?
Frankly, the fact that Ferrari managed to get this 6.5-litre monster — which makes 610kW and 678Nm and somehow produces just 353 g/km of CO2 — through the 2026 Euro-6-E standard is a minor miracle. And one that supercar fans should be thankful for.
It does, however, drink fuel like a lush. It has claimed an economy of 15.5 litres per 100km, but we saw nowhere near that on the launch drive. At one stage we had just 300km of range left after draining a quarter of the big old 92-litre tank.
It is a heady mix of intoxicating and intimidating to drive, with so much power and such a delicious desire to rev — and rev high and fast.
Maximum power arrives at 9,250rpm: a point at which, as you can well imagine, the V12 engine makes the kind of noises that would summon the dead, so they can tell you to shut up and let them get back to sleep.
The steering is pin-sharp; the ride and handling balance near perfect; and if you leave it in automatic mode and just ride the torque wave, it can be an effortless long-distance cruiser.
Select ‘Sport’ and choose to change the eight gears (up from seven on the old car) yourself, and you are in for one hell of a memorable ride.
Tech & connectivity — what’s the word?
Ferrari has recognised the failings of its tiny screen and silly steering wheel buttons approach and fitted a proper 10.2-inch central touch screen to this 12 Cilindri, which allows you to run Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
And the lowdown on safety?
The Ferrari 12 Cilindri has four airbags and a full suite of active safety technologies. The real genius is in its various levels of traction, which somehow stop those giant wheels from spinning out of control, even in the rain. Mostly.
The most memorable — or heartbreaking — thing about your drive?
We were allowed to cut loose at day’s end on a closed circuit where, the day before, it had regularly been topping 300km/h. In the pouring rain, with lots of standing water, we just managed to go past 240km/h before giving in to fear.
What will stay with me most, however, is the sound of that incredible V12 singing its way past 9,000rpm. Deafening and delightfully rapid.
One thing you should know before a test drive.
If it’s raining, cancel and reschedule.
Tell ’em the price, son!
The Ferrari 12 Cilindri we drove was the Coupe and starts at $803,500; while the convertible Spider, which is also available to order, will set you back $886,800.
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