Ferrari unveiled the F12berlinetta to an eager press contingent this morning at Geneva, providing the first opportunity for us to see their new flagship up-close and in the metal.
As expected, it’s been the star of the show, although Lamborghini’s Aventador J has come pretty close to stealing its thunder.
Displayed on the stand in two new colours, Rosso Berlinetta and Aluminium, the F12berlinetta is the most powerful and high-performance road-going Ferrari ever, featuring a 6262cc 729 bhp V12 engine based on the unit already used in the FF.
We covered the F12berlinetta’s specification in detail as part of our article last week and we also pitted it against it’s sibling, the four-seat FF in our Sound-Off Comparison.
The major news is that despite being 80 bhp more powerful than the outgoing 599 GTB, fuel consumption and emissions have been reduced by an impressive 30 per cent to 18.5 mpg, with CO2 emissions of just 350 g/km (down from 415g/km). This is partly due to the extensive development of the V12 engine and the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) used in the F12berlinetta’s aerodynamic development.
But credit should also be given to the whopping 70 kg weight saving achieved through the extensive use of more than a dozen different aluminium alloys, some of which have been used for the first time in the automotive sector, plus new assembly and joining technologies used in its construction. The resulting 1525 kg kerb weight is 50 kg lighter than Lamborghini’s carbon fibre structured Aventador, something that Ferrari are undeniably proud of.
Performance is equally impressive, with 0-62 mph despatched in just 3.2 seconds, with 125mph reached just 5.3 seconds later. But perhaps it’s fitting to leave the F12berlinetta’s most impressive statistic to last. With a lap time of 1 minute 23 seconds around Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit, the F12berlinetta can lap 2 seconds faster than the 458 Italia and nearly 7 seconds quicker than the iconic F40. That’s fast. In fact it’s the fastest road car ever built by Ferrari.
To accompany this morning’s press launch, Ferrari released its first product video for the F12berlinetta (plus a few extra images) – as if we weren’t already excited enough seeing it in the static shots (below).
No doubt see more of Ferrari’s fastest ever road car during the next few months, but for the time being this will do.
Gallery
Written By
Try These Next
Stories we think you'll enjoy
BTCC, Snetterton: Transmission’s Top 20
The BTCC's third racing weekend of the year took us to Snetterton, which not only boasts the longest circuit on the calendar...
The VSCC’s Pomeroy Trophy
From a 1913 Vauxhall Viper to a somewhat more modern Zafira, the VSCC's Pomeroy Trophy had something for everyone.
superb car, when will you beat the Bugati Veyron.