New Ferrari 12Cilindri is a purist, V12-powered two-seater Berlinetta

This is the Ferrari 12Cilindri, the new flagship model in Ferrari’s line-up. Replacing the 812 Superfast (which in turn replaced the F12berlinetta), this model occupies a rarefied niche at the top of the Ferrari tree. It’s ostensibly a gran turismo in the longstanding tradition of elegant two-seaters, but Ferrari has continuously upped the ante to make this model a ferocious performer and ultimate status signifier.

Launched today (3 May 2024) at Miami Beach, the 12Cilindri and 12Cilindri Spider can trace their heritage all the way back to the very first Ferrari of 1947. Mid-front-mounted V12s were the Italian manufacturer’s stock in trade from the outset, back when this format was used for both road and track.

These days, the 12Cilindri’s stomping ground is more likely to be London’s Knightsbridge than the French Riviera, and if you were hoping to be an early customer and haven’t already been in talks with Ferrari, you’re probably out of luck. Ferrari ownership is a loyalty club for the ultra-wealthy, allowing the company to operate an extremely refined kind of supply and demand economics; repeat customers get first dibs on new models.

So what will the lucky few be stepping into? For a start, this is an unashamed, pure fossil-fuel-powered machine. In common with other luxury sports car makers, possession of a bespoke V12 engine brings together a number of unique signature elements: sound, speed, racing heritage, even smell. According to the Ferraristi, these are things no electrically driven car can ever hope to imitate.

Ferrari is happy to dabble with hybrids, as are its rivals, but when it comes to the crunch, 12 snarling cylinders will always win out for now. It’s in the name, after all. There’s an exhaustive list of technical innovations and enhancements that hone and fettle every facet of the driving experience, from the speed of the gear shifts, to the increase of engine power, to the sonic characteristics of the exhaust.

New Ferrari 12Cilindri marks a design departure

In terms of design, the Ferrari 12Cilindri marks a point of real departure from the past. Ferraris of late have been chaotic but expressive automotive sculptures, with an abundance of curves and vents. Design chief Flavio Manzoni and his team at the Ferrari Styling Centre have cleaned up the visual signature, maintaining the long bonnet proportions and aggressive rear haunches.

There’s a strong visual connection to the iconic 1968 Ferrari Daytona, especially in the clean front-end treatment and relationship of the low bonnet to the position of the windscreen. Both coupé and Spider maintain the same purity of line, with the latter incorporating a folding hard-top that stows behind the cockpit.

Seen alongside its sibling, the Ferrari Roma, the 12Cilindri looks even more refined; we’d go so far as to say that it’s one of the prettiest Ferraris of the modern era. The way the bodywork and glass panels of the roof and boot intersect evokes mid-period Bertone concept design, with active aerodynamics elements at the rear keeping the lines pure and simple.

The interior is similarly refined, although the scattergun ergonomics of earlier models seem to have been consolidated by a larger central 10.25-inch touchscreen and an absence of physical buttons. A darkened glass roof improves the sense of space, and the strict two-seater has plenty of stowage space should you be lucky enough to take the 12Cilindri on the kind of journey it was built for. 

Ferrari 12Cilindri and 12Cilindri Spider, more details at Ferrari.com, @Ferrari