The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, or more commonly known as the F12, is a high caliber front mid-engined GT car. The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Instantly, it was a hit. Aside from the fact that it came from Ferrari, the top brand in the Italian automotive industry, the car replaced the Ferrari 599. Knowing the legacy of the Ferrari 599, the car needs to live up to the hype. According to Top Gear, they saw the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta as the 2012 Supercar of the Year.
Compared to the Ferrari 599
Powered by a V12 730 horsepower engine, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is a powerhouse that is bordering on illegal. To date, it is the most powerful road-legal Ferrari car. As for the performance of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, it can easily reach a top speed of 340 kilometers per hour and accelerate 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.1 seconds.
The thing with the Ferrari 599 was that it wasn’t as efficient as the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. The newer GT car released by Ferrari has the capability to reduce fuel consumption when idling. It makes use of HELE start-stop system that provides maximized use of fuel. In a recent report, the carbon emission and the overall fuel efficiency improved by as much as 30% compared to the Ferrari 599. In terms of transmission though, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is similar to 458 Italia and that of California. It makes use of a 7-speed gearbox that will guarantee a good match on the powerful engine of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.
Formula One Influence
Car manufacturers that participate in Formula One races have advantages over car manufacturers that don’t. In fact, you can see the chassis design of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta reminiscent of the Ferraris in Formula One.
Improved aerodynamics and increased downforce are some of the key features of the 2012 Ferrari standout. Also, you can expect the aerodynamic design to help with the active brake cooling ducts.
Performance Savvy
The performance of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is a border of becoming an F1 vehicle. In fact, according to the tests, the Ferrari can run the Fiorano test circuit in 1 minute 23 seconds. That is 1 second faster than the high end 599 GTO and 1.9 seconds faster than the Enzo Ferrari.
In terms of design, the car is known for its classy interior and modern look. The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta was designed by none other than Pininfarina and the Ferrari Styling Center. Pininfarina is known to be the main protagonist in the classic designs of high-end cars from Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, and Fiat.
The measure of a vehicle is to surpass its predecessor. When you look into the Ferraris and the Porsche, this task of outdoing the last model becomes difficult every single time. For the 2012 Ferrari, it wasn’t really easy to fill in the role of the Ferrari 599. Thanks to its engineers who implemented various changes that highlight the importance of technology, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is worthy of becoming the 2012 Supercar of the Year.