Ferrari not ready to kill big V12

Ferrari's next flagship coupe will keep the large, naturally aspirated 6.3-litre V12 from the current F12 Berlinetta, it has been revealed.

Originally, it was thought the supercar maker would be forced to downsize its V12 or move to a turbocharged V8 engine that borrows some of the state-of-the-art hybrid tech developed for the LaFerrari but now, according to German magazine Autobild, it will do neither of the above.

Instead, the F12 replacement will keep its 6.3-litre V12 and boost power to an incredible 600kW.

To achieve the efficiency gains needed to pass stricter emissions regs, an insider claimed to work closely to Ferrari says the next-gen coupe will be significantly smaller and lighter than the current car.

This means the next F12 could weigh even less than the 1415kg the final TDF weighed.

Keeping its transaxle gearbox, which places the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission ahead of the rear axle for a near 50:50 weight distribution, the old school Ferrari is almost certain to beat the F12 TDF's 2.9 second 0-100km/h sprint and boast a top speed approaching 350km/h.

To help it deploy even more power the next F12 will feature new active aero systems.

Conspiracy theorists are already suggesting that the real reason the next F12 will not feature any hybrid tech is fears, within Ferrari, that the big coupe will be faster than the LaFerrari hypercar, both in a straight line and around a track thanks to new tyre, aero and suspension technology.

Autobild claims the new F12 will arrive by 2019 at the latest.