A highly important launch at the Geneva Motor Show this week is the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. Images of it came out a little while ago, but the official specifications and live images from the show floor are now rolling in.
The F12 Berlinetta will serve as Ferrari’s all-new range-topping flagship – at least until the limited run mid-engined Enzo successor arrives. Unlike Lamborghini, which always has a fixed mid-engined range-topper in its lineup, Ferrari opts to compete at the highest level with its GT cars. The F12 Berlinetta goes head-to-head with the Lamborghini Aventador, replacing the Ferrari 599 GTO.
With the Berlinetta the styling looks a lot more dramatic than Ferrari coupes of late. For an exotic, the GTB Fiorano/GTO were relatively tame. The F12 Berlinetta is in your face, with swoopy front fenders and deep sculpting along the side going into the doors.
All of this is aimed at giving the car even more of a presence – something the Aventador isn’t lacking one bit. The Aventador still wins as far as wow factor, but we doubt there is a whole lot of cross-shopping going on. Despite Ferrari’s proclamations that it is “compact” (doesn’t look like it to us) the Berlinetta is a big vehicle, and it darts to 62 mph in just 3.1 seconds. Don’t blink! That makes the Berlinetta the fastest production Ferrari ever made, with a Fiorano lap time of 1 minute and 23 seconds.
That beats the previous 599 GTO’s Fiorano’s record lap time by a second. Specifications are as follows: 6.2-liters, 12-cylinders, 740 horsepower and 508 pound-feet of torque. Speed around the track is up thanks to more power (of course) as well as a reduction in weight, down 154 pounds versus the 599 GTO coupe. Structural rigidity is up by 20 percent.
Dynamically, Ferrari’s engineers focused on improving the car’s layout for handling. There is a shorter wheelbase, lower center of gravity and an engine that has been pushed farther back in the chassis. 54 percent of the car’s overall 3362 pound weight is focused out back. Stay tuned for pricing details and on-sale date. Until then, weigh in on Ferrari’s latest after you check out our gallery below.
