Ferrari F12 Berlinetta - 2014

The F12berlinetta arrived at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as Maranello’s new front‑engined V12 flagship, replacing the 599 GTB. Styled by Ferrari’s own Centro Stile under Flavio Manzoni in collaboration with Pininfarina, it introduced the dramatic Aero Bridge that channels air from the bonnet sides along the flanks, generating downforce without big wings. Under its skin sat a new aluminium spaceframe co‑developed with Scaglietti using 12 different alloys, 70 kg lighter and around 20% stiffer than the 599’s structure. The message was clear: old‑school naturally aspirated drama, sharpened by wind‑tunnel science and electronic brains.

Its 6.3‑litre F140 V12 was a masterpiece: 740 CV at 8,250 rpm, 690 Nm and an 8,700 rpm redline, driving the rear wheels through a 7‑speed dual‑clutch. Ferrari quoted 0‑100 km/h in 3.1 s, 0‑200 in 8.5, and a top speed beyond 340 km/h. At launch it set a 1:23.0 lap of Fiorano, the fastest Ferrari road car at the time, eclipsing the 599 GTO. Reviewers raved about the engine’s immediacy, the mega‑grip and composure from E‑Diff, F1‑Trac and SCM‑E magnetorheological dampers, and the surprisingly compliant ride for a 740‑horse GT. Some also noted how alert the steering felt on bumpy roads—a thrill for keen drivers, occasionally busy for the casual ones.

Competition was fierce. Lamborghini’s mid‑engined Aventador offered bedroom‑poster theatre and all‑wheel‑drive traction, while Aston Martin’s Vanquish courted the classic GT crowd. Yet the Ferrari struck a rare balance: it could annihilate a circuit in the morning and cruise continents in the afternoon, with a usefully large 320‑litre boot and that signature long‑bonnet/short‑tail stance. The F12 also marked a generational milestone: the last Ferrari V12 GT with hydraulic power steering before the 812 Superfast ushered in electric assistance and rear‑wheel steering.

Through its life (2012–2017) Ferrari evolved the package with incremental tweaks—revised infotainment and connectivity in mid‑cycle years, wider personalisation catalogues, and, in many markets by 2016, optional Apple CarPlay—while the core hardware remained gloriously un‑turbocharged. In 2015 the limited‑run F12tdf arrived as the extreme development: 780 CV, radical aero, bigger rubber and “Virtual Short Wheelbase” rear‑steer, limited to 799 units. It underlined just how far the F12 platform could be pushed.

The F12 captured plenty of screen time in video games like Forza and Gran Turismo, and it starred in high‑octane magazine features and TV segments—Top Gear named it Supercar of the Year in 2012. Ferrari’s triple‑layer Rosso Berlinetta launch paint became an instant classic, and period critics frequently singled out the engine note as one of the greatest of the modern era. A favourite among collectors and Ferrari’s F1 alumni alike, the F12berlinetta cemented Maranello’s V12 GT legend for the 2010s: visceral, usable, and unrepeatable in a world turning to turbos and hybrid boost.