First Impression: Ferrari F12berlinetta

On February 29, 2012, Ferrari announced that its fastest street car ever. This new Ferrari replaced the outgoing 599 GTB Fiorano. Ferrari was originally going to call this vehicle the 620 GT, but it became the F12berlinetta. The F12 made is first public appearance at the 2012 International Geneva Motor Show, which was held from March 8 to March 18 of 2012. The F12 was named Top Gear's 2012 Supercar of the Year. The F12 is front engine, rear-wheel drive, two door grand tourer.

The F12 is a step up from the 599 in the design category. The F12 has a more aggressive front fascia, side profile, headlights, hood, and rear. It is another work of art done by Ferrari Styling Centre and Pininfarina. The design of the F12 is to generate downforce and have a drag coefficient of under 0.3. At 120 mph, the F12 generates 271 pounds of downforce and has a drag coefficient 0.299. Aerodynamics as a major factor in its design with the aero bridge that runs from the hood, through the flanks, and along the side of the F12, which helps with the downforce creation.

The F12 is powered by a 6.3L V12 engine, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission, that produces 730 hp and 509 lb-ft of torque. That is the most powerful engine ever put in a Ferrari at the time. Since then, the LaFerrari has topped it with 950 hp coming from its hybrid powerplant. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 211 mph. That is quick and fast, but it does not top the Enzo's top speed of 217 mph, which only gets 651 hp from its V12 engine. Prices for the F12 start at $330,000. That is quite a bit of money, but you do get power and performance for your money. The F12 is not the fastest nor the most powerful road vehicle with the prancing horse badge.

The F12 has been featured on Top Gear, Fifth Gear, Top Gear-The Perfect Road Trip, Jay Leno's Garage, and Motorweek. The F12 is playable in Forza Horizon, Car Town, Need For Speed: Rivals, Forza Motorsport 5, Asphalt 8: Airborne, and Real Racing 3.

Final Thoughts: What a beauty. It is definitely a work of art. Still, it is not the fastest as Ferrari advertised. The Enzo, which came out from 2002 to 2004, reached a top speed of 218 mph.  Even the Lamborghini Aventador is faster with a top speed of 217 mph. To be fair, the LaFerrari, which gets 789 hp from its 6.3L V12, was revealed one year after the F12 was revealed. So when Ferrari said that the F12 was the most powerful Ferrari, they were not lying. The F12 gets 730 hp from its V12, which was the most powerful engine at the time of its release. Also, the F12 is a major step up from its predecessor, the 599 GTB. Ferrari has been good about making improvements going from one vehicle to the next. The 458 Italia is a major step up from its predecessor, the F430. The F12 is a good grand tourer and another fine example of Ferrari craftmanship and engineering.

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