The Ferrari 12Cilindri Is The Stunning 830 HP Artwork That Reminds Us Why God Lives In Maranello

Ferrari is an Italian company absolutely dripping in history, and the very latest model to roll out of Maranello will look back to the very first. Enter the Ferarri 12Cilindri.

Yes, this gorgeous creature has a 12-cylinder engine. You don’t need to be Sherlock to figure that out, as Ferrari has gone for a name almost as obvious as the Ferrari LaFerrari of 2013.

Don’t call it a coupe, though, that would be a crass French term for this fine Italian art. As Ferrari says, this is a new two-seater berlinetta, aimed directly at dedicated connoisseurs of the brand’s biggest engines.

Stunner

The 12Cilindri rocks its 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated V12 in a front-mid configuration. This layout helps define the lines of the vehicle, with its classic long hood and kicked-back canopy at the rear. Ferrari has done what it does best, taking this classic format to new places while drawing from its heritage all the same. Indeed, the first true Ferrari was a two-seater V12, as the 12Cilindri is today.

The contrasting hood panel and muscular haunches nod to Ferraris past, while the aggressive air dam and futuristic greenhouse are elements from tomorrow.

Perhaps the nicest touch is the clamshell-style design, in which the hood actually serves to top the front fenders. It’s deftly punctuated by the twin vents to cool the engine, the correct number as demonstrated by the legendary Ferarri F40 itself.

The result is one of the greatest-looking Ferraris in recent memory. That’s not to say that Ferrari has been turning out unattractive designs of late, far from it. But the 12Cilindri has a simple appeal that’s easy to understand at a glance. Ferrari tells us it’s inspired by the grand tourers of the 1950s and 1960s, and it’s easy to see the connection.

The mighty F150HD V12 will deliver 830 horsepower on its way to a 9,500 RPM redline. Winding the tacho out that far is exciting enough in a Japanese sports car, let alone a screaming Italian rocketship. As you might imagine, that kind of displacement gets you plenty of grunt down low, with 80% of torque available at just 2,500 RPM. Ferrari says it provides “a feeling of never-ending power all the way to the redline” and I’d say that’s probably a fair statement.

Getting a V12 to spin that fast is no mean feat. Ferrari engineers worked hard to slash the weight and inertia of engine components to support this goal. The engine thus relies on titanium connecting rods, which come in a full 40% lighter than traditional steel parts. A special aluminum alloy was also used to save weight on the pistons. Meanwhile, the valvetrain uses sliding finger followers to save weight and enable a more aggressive valve opening profile. This is a technique that’s sometimes used in high-revving sportbikes, too.

The engine naturally gets a carefully tuned exhaust that delivers the most symphonic exhaust note possible. The V12 is paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that was seen on previous models like the SF90 Stradale.

Inside, the 12Cilindri has a “dual-cockpit” design that gives the passenger almost as much to look at as the driver. The main instrument cluster is a 15.6-inch display, with a 10.25-inch touchscreen doing infotainment duty in the center of the dash. There’s a further 8.8-inch display for the passenger, which should “ensure they feel like a genuine co-driver,” according to Ferrari. The Italian automaker has also set up a collaboration with the worst-named audio outfit out there—Burmester. That might sound like an Iowan company you get to restraw your outdoor sofa, but we’re told it’s actually a high-tech German hi-fi outfit. I’m sure the stereo sounds good, anyway.

The real headline feature, though, is the tinted glass roof. It’s a showstopper inside and out, completely transforming the feel inside the cabin. It makes the 12Cilindri look like a step change in terms of design versus the models that came before.

Don’t Need A Reason

Ferrari didn’t have to do this. The Prancing Horse could have found any number of excuses to quietly step away from building big mighty V12s. It could have cited the push towards electrification. It could have cited the virtues of the hybrid turbo V8 in the SF90 Stradale. It could have simply built increasingly wild versions of the 812 Superfast to wind out the clock.

But Ferrari didn’t do that. Because they’re Ferrari. It’s a company that exists beyond normal earthly concerns around spreadsheets and EBITDAs and so much financial noise. Ferrari exists to build amazing works of art, and it can always count on the world to support that.

Ferrari is like that special kid who is so talented that nothing else matters. They’re going to the Olympics, or Carnegie Hall, or some shit. They don’t have to go to school like everyone else, and worry about grades and tests and attendance. They just have to go out there and make magic. Everything else fades in the shadow of that talent.

Ferrari’s talent is building Ferraris, and it does so like nobody else. Sure, other automakers can build fast cars. Faster ones, even. But they’re not red, and they’re not Ferraris. Somehow, some way, that factory in Maranello was consecrated with something special that still blesses the company’s output today.

So here we are in 2024, and there’s a new Ferrari with a new V12. It revs to the moon, and it’s wrapped in some of the most gorgeous bodywork we’ve seen in a long time. You’ll be lucky to see one, let alone drive one—the press release is literally titled “Ferrari 12Cilindri: For the few.” But that doesn’t change what it is; it only adds to the adulation and majesty heaped on the brand with the most famous yellow badge in the world.

The Italians could have sold out at any point and called it a day. Slapped the badge on any old thing and charged a king’s ransom for it. But Ferrari has stuck fast, and all these years later, it’s still delivering. We should all be so lucky they’re still at it.

Image credits: Ferrari