Ferrari F12 Berlinetta 2013 Review

For once, I’m actually lost for words. The Ferrari F12 has so comprehensively shattered all my preconceptions of hypercar capabilities that I need to recalibrate my cranial benchmarks before proceeding any further.

Right, I’ve gone away and done that, so now I’ll try and convey the essence of the all-new F12, which replaces the 599 GTB and has earned bragging rights as currently the fastest front-engined, rear-wheel-drive road-going car... in the world.

How fast is it? The raw stats say 0-100km/h in 3.1sec, 0-200km/h in 8.5sec and a v-max of 340km/h. A Porsche 911 Turbo or Nissan GT-R might be quicker in sprinting to 100km/h, but it’s the sheer unrelenting acceleration and all-round velocity of the Ferrari that separates it from the pack and, in the process, necessitates a complete reprogramming of the grey matter.

Straights are devoured, stopping distances are mashed, cornering speeds are multiplied. With the hammer down and electronic aids turned off, your eyes and brain need to work overtime, and the wrists and feet must be equally quick and decisive.

Here are some more stats for the sake of perspective: around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track, the F12 is three seconds a lap quicker than 599 GTB, and one second quicker than even the race-prepped 599 GTO. It’s scarcely believable that a spacious, compliant-riding and generally easy-to-drive car could be this mind-bogglingly fast.

Ferrari’s R&D team threw the proverbial kitchen sink -- as well as the oven and utensils -- at the F12, as it’s a clean-sheet design that carries over nothing barring the badges from the 599. Smaller, lighter and more aero-efficient than its predecessor, the F12 was conceived as a scalpel-like device whose job it is to slice and dice any ribbon of tarmac laid out ahead of it.

The backbone of the F12 is provided by an all-new spaceframe chassis that’s fabricated from no less than 12 different alloys. The result is that the long-snouted coupe tips the scales at a lean, mean 1630kg (70kg less than the 599), and it’s also stiffer and more rigid to deliver crisper dynamics and satisfy the latest crash regs.

What’s evident from the moment you slide into its cockpit is that the F12 feels far more manageable and manoeuvrable than the 599 -- this stems from the fact it’s 47mm shorter, 63mm lower and 20mm narrower than its ancestor, which means it’s quicker to change direction and far easier to park.

The beautifully sculpted bodywork isn’t just about aesthetics either, as it generates
76 per cent more downforce than the 599, and the benefits of this are evident as you clock up big numbers on the other side of 200 klicks.

Undoubtedly the cleverest and most ogle-worthy aerodynamic element is the so-called ‘Aero Bridge’ in the bonnet, which channels air over the bonnet and down into recesses in the flanks to smooth the airflow around front and sides of the car. No less clever are the active brake cooling ducts below the grille, which open up only when the stoppers have been worked hard enough to require heat dissipation.

Staying true to the classic 250 GTO and other V12 Ferraris of yesteryear, the rump kicks up in a Kamm tail that integrates with the ‘fences’ of the rear diffuser, while the F12’s T-shaped rear surface houses afterburner-style LED taillights and an F1-inspired central rear foglight. It’s a dramatic derriere, and one that most other motorists will see disappearing at a great rate of knots.

To my eye, there simply isn’t a bad angle on the F12. Scrutinise it from anywhere you like -- from a rooftop, lying on the floor, up close, from a distance -- it just looks right. If you ask me, it’s the best-looking Ferrari since 1970s-80s icons such as the 308 GTB, 512 BB and 288 GTO. Of the current crop of Fezzas, the California could perhaps be equated to a blossoming but still slightly gangly teenage prom queen, while the FF is the wheeled embodiment of a homely but borderline-pretty housewife.

Carrying this analogy further, the 458 Italia is akin to Charlize Theron -- lean, smouldering, desirable. Shading them all is the F12, which has the essence of an in-her-prime Monica Belluci -- curvaceous, quintessentially Italian and enough to make any red-blooded male’s legs turn to jelly.

And unlike some movies with an all-star cast and an ultra-lame plot, the F12 actually keeps you captivated with a compelling storyline devoid of the loopholes and flaws that mar many of Hollywood’s creations. It starts from the instant you hit the big red Start button on the steering wheel, rousing the V12 into life with a piercing shriek. A quick stab on throttle while still in neutral gear sends the tacho needle in a rapid arc around the dial, signalling a seeming lack of inertia within the bowels of the 6.3-litre unit. This is clearly no lazy grunter.

A quick tug on the perfectly weighted shift paddle engages first, and even little more than half throttle is enough to send the F12 braaapping down the road, with subsequent tugs on the paddle every two to three seconds rapidly propelling the Ferrari to speeds that would send any traffic cameras in the vicinity on a flashing frenzy. The sheer potency of the car becomes even more evident a few seconds later as even lighting gassing it up through a sweeping right-hander has the rear Michelins scrabbling for grip and the tail kicking out slightly.

The 6.3-litre direct-injected powerplant is an immensely flexible and tractable unit. It effortlessly spins to 8700rpm, yet coughs up no complaints even when you’re pottering around at 1500rpm in seventh gear. The fact that maximum torque of 690Nm doesn’t arrive until 6000rpm might have you believe this is a peaky engine, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s meaningful urge from 2000rpm, and by 3500rpm you’re already surfing a wave of torque that’s primed to launch you at the horizon at the twitch of your right ankle.

Apart from being both weightlifter and sprinter, the V12 is also incredibly smooth -- it’s absolutely silken, particularly as it’s working in concert with an equally velvety seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. There’s none of the jerking and sputtering you’d have to live with in a Lamborghini Aventador. The F12 glides through the inner-city crawl, even though the hooligan in you wants to open the taps and unleash its primal scream.

If there’s a better transmission on the market than Ferrari’s ‘F1’ unit, I’ve yet to experience it. The gearbox is lightning-fast, almost completely seamless and every tug you impart on the shift paddle is met with an instant response. Every full-throttle upshift is accompanied by a mini-explosion from the four exhausts and, if you happen to be in a tunnel, it's enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

The F12 has one of the quickest steering racks -- there’s just two turns from lock to lock – of any car on the market today, so you need to get used to making minimal, precise inputs. The steering is superbly accurate and well weighted, so once you’re familiar with it the car becomes a doddle to drive -- be it slowly or dancing at the limits.

Unusually for a front-engined car, the F12 has a pronounced rearward weight bias (it’s spread in a 46:54 ratio over front and rear axles), and this is the result of stuffing the V12 well back in the engine bay, while the dual-clutch transmission is housed at the rear in unison with the differential.

There’s none of the nose-heaviness you might associate with a car that's packing a big V12 up front, but the F12 still can’t match the razor-sharp turn-in that’s a hallmark of the 458 Italia. Attack a corner with a fat dollop of speed on board and you’ll find it takes a moment or two to get the nose turned in and settled. Once that’s done, you can begin to liberate the 730 horses champing at the bit to get a move on.

The rear tyres will light up in a flash if you turn the electronic nannies off via the Manettino switch on the steering wheel (there’s five settings: Wet, Sport, Race, CT Off and ESC Off), so while exiting corners in CT Off or ESC Off modes you need to squeeze on the throttle rather than standing on it -- unless you’re just plain showing off.

Be aware though that everything happens quickly in the F12 -- driving it is a bit like watching a movie in fast-forward -- so lightning reflexes are required to keep things from going pear-shaped. That said, the car is balanced and progressive in its on-limit behaviour, and the clever Magnetorheologic suspension and E-Diff 3 (third-gen electronic differential) certainly do their bit in keeping the Ferrari planted and moving in a predominantly forward vector.

The mighty carbon-ceramic brakes (400mm diameter at the front and 360mm at the rear) also provide formidable stopping power, wiping off speed with disdain -- and they suffer no apparent fade even after a sustained pounding.

Once you’ve had a decent max-attack session, you can settle back in the well-sculpted Frau leather-trimmed seat and gather your thoughts -- in the process taking in nice design details such as the aviation-inspired circular air vents and the carbon-fibre central bridge that incorporates the transmission and launch-control buttons. Unlike some hypercars, there’s enough oddments space for items such as keys and loose change, and plenty of headroom for anyone under 1.95m tall.

There’s also a usefully large boot (it displaces 320 litres), although the one in our test car was almost completely occupied by the spare wheel. In addition, there’s a shelf in the cabin behind the seats where more stuff (such as tailor-made Ferrari luggage) can be stashed.

The F12 is comfortable, practical and refined -- the sort of car you could use to effortlessly lope across Europe or the Middle East (the non-war-torn parts anyway) at helicopter-matching pace… making mincemeat of any twisty roads that come your way. That’s what makes it a little bit special. A Lambo Aventador delivers more of an adrenaline rush, but there’s no way you’d dream of driving it everyday. An Aston Martin Vanquish might just about match the F12 for usability, but it’s not even in the same game from a dynamic perspective.

No doubt about it, the F12 is a hypercar for all seasons. Simply magnificent.