This effortlessly elegant naturally aspirated 12-cylinder is an incredible performer that’s also plenty comfortable for touring
Thus you get an engine that has not one, not two, but zero turbochargers. A naturally-aspirated engine not with six, eight, or even 10 cylinders, but 12 — none of them aided by a single source of electricity, all of them sonorous enough to compete with Billie Eilish on Spotify.
Indeed, ignite those dozen lightweight pistons, each pivoting on titanium connecting rods around a lightweight crankshaft, and the six exhaust pipes routing into one manifold on the left will come together with six on the right like orchestral manoeuvres in the dark, all of optimized in terms of pitch. Nudge those pistons above 2,500 rpm, then to the 9,500-rpm red-line, and, well, this 12-cylinder reaches down and touches the soul the way few engines can. In Italian, the car is called the dodici cilindri, a literal translation of what may be the last of its kind. Packaged under the long, clamshell hood, the engine looks absolutely gorgeous, too.
Housed within cylinders totalling 6.5 litres in displacement, the 12 pistons in the new car create enough twisting force to launch the 12Cilindri to 100 km/h (62 mph) from zero in 2.9 seconds, putting it easily into Porsche 911 Turbo territory. Without the aid of a turbo, the Ferrari achieves that number via some 819 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, all of that force going to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), manually controlled by large, fixed paddle shifters behind the wheel, or automatically.
Uniquely, Ferrari has developed an “Aspirated Torque Shaping” system that aims to temper the wilder side of this dragon. ATS doesn’t so much as curb the engine’s enthusiasm; rather, the software more or less irons out the higher peaks of torque in third and fourth gear that aren’t really needed to achieve that 2.9-second acceleration.
That much is evident any time the road opens up. With 80% of maximum torque available from 2,500 rpm, thrust is immediate, cleanly delivered, and felt as much in the chest as the heart. The 12Cilindri simply launches into such a powerfully straight trajectory that rocket-builders should buy one and take notes. Hitting that intoxicating red-line, shifts are fantastically fast, the closer-shifting DCT a 30% improvement over the seven-speed in the 812.
Mere seconds later (7.9, to be precise) a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) has been eclipsed, the car remaining well composed at this velocity, if a little noisy from all the wind perhaps, but with steering so well-balanced and weighted (if a little shy with feedback) that every turn is a welcome exercise in pleasure. It genuinely feels good just to steer this car, fast or slow, and to negotiate the road at hand. Driving is pure joy.
And while the auditory delights of the engine are sublime, they could definitely be louder, although there is no setting to amplify the exhaust. Us juveniles will just have to keep the windows down.
With each bend or turn, however, the car seems hungry for speed. Turn-in is quick, yet not unnatural, even with independent four-wheel steering. A brake-by-wire system feels entirely normal, too, although the carbon-ceramic brakes need some heat in them before asking too much. Cornering, despite a dry weight of 1,560 kilograms (3,439 lbs), is confidence-inspiring; the 12C handily banishes lean without creating a punishing experience, a remarkable achievement in engineering from a conventional, adaptive magnetic-ride suspension. The car’s overall comfort at just about any speed is, next to its willing engine, quite honestly one of its best traits.
The 12Cilindri is so comfortable, in fact, and the standard sport seats are so good, that cross-country drives can be something to look forward to. Pack light, though, as there are only 28 litres (one cubic foot) of trunk space.
At higher velocity, a pair of triangular-ish flaps at each corner of the rear fenders deploy simultaneously at speeds between 60 and 300 km/h (37 and 186 mph), producing up to 50 kg (110 lbs) of down-force in partnership with a large, full-width rear diffuser. The flaps, or winglets, retract for lower-drag stability at 300 km/h on the way to the car’s top speed in excess of 340 km/h (211 mph). We reached 287 km/h (178 mph) at the track and the car felt stable.
Riding on either 275/35ZR21 front and 315/35 rear Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tires or Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires (that took 18 months and four iterations to get right) the grip from the tires is substantial — without compromising ride quality.
The flaps — along with seven openings in front; vortex generators in the floorpan; and a network of other ducts, louvres, and wheelhouse breathers, all of them discreetly woven like the stitching in a Brioni suit — provide enough aerodynamic force to eliminate the need for a gaudy spoilers, chins, scoops and fender fins that would ultimately move the appearance of the car from understated elegance to more tattooed-pop-star vibes. It may not be love at first sight, but the 12Cilindri boasts a kind of seamless purity.
Looking over the long hood is much like looking over the hood of a ‘70s Corvette, such are the handsome arcs of the front fenders, making it easy to locate and position an apex. The cabin feels spacious, aided by glass in the standard carbon-fiber roof. The rear is definitely harder to see out of, but the backup camera in the 15.6-inch instrument cluster helps out.
A 10.25-inch centre display houses the climate, audio, and Carplay or Android Auto settings, doing away with physical buttons or switches. Passengers, too, get an 8.8-inch display to monitor performance date or infotainment. Wireless charging is standard, but a 1600W Burmester 15-speaker sound system is optional.
Even the start-stop button, located as a touch-point on the steering wheel, is digital; that may be keeping with the times, but it means gone is the pleasing mechanical feel of physical switches and controls, along with the alluring look of analog instruments. The gear selector is a combination of old and new; designed as a tribute to Ferrari’s famous gated shifter, the H-pattern cancelletto is three push-pull toggles on the transmission hump. Drive modes are still managed by a manettino dial on the steering wheel.
That Ferrari would produce another V-12 in the midst of rising tides of regulation and an influx of hybrids is not just a link to tradition but an affirmation Ferrari will not follow the herd, that it will continue to build what affluent customers seek. The 12Cilindri and the coming Spider undoubtedly align with the company’s long lineage of great GT cars, with pricing starting at CDN$554,439 in Canada, and deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2025.
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