Naturally aspirated V12 engines have always defined Ferrari. But their future has been in doubt in recent years. European regulatory bodies have methodically worked to strengthen emission standards for vehicles over time. With the announcement of the so-called ‘Euro 7’ standards near the end of 2022, many feared the age of the V12 would officially come to a close after the laws took effect as initially planned in the middle of 2025.
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However, more recent changes to the plan have scaled back much of the original proposal’s ambitious emissions restrictions and extended the timeline for full enforcement until at least 2027.
So, in the meantime, Ferrari appears content to keep doing Ferrari things, like launching an all-new front-midship engined flagship model dubbed the 12Cilindri as well as a 12Cilindri Spider variant ahead of the Formula One Miami Grand Prix.
We could spend paragraphs attempting to describe the minutia of this total redesign, but these highlights should be sufficient to convey what the 12Cilindri was made to do. 819 horsepower. Max torque at 500 pound-feet at 7,250 rpm, with 80% of total torque available at just 2500 rpm. Redline at 9,500rpm. 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds. Top speed of “over 211 mph.”
How it one-ups the engine revving speed and ceiling of the 2021 812 GTS and other variants is due in large part to the use of titanium and aluminum throughout the reworked engine to reduce the weight of its major moving components by a whopping 40% as well as a host of other engineering enhancements including a new all-aluminum chassis, an improved valvetrain, and a new 6-into-1 exhaust system.
Aesthetically, the 12Cilindri blazes new ground as well. As the press release states, Flavio Manzoni and his team were intent to “radically transform the stylistic codes of Ferrari’s previous mid-front-engined V12s.” And so they did. The overall vibe is clean and blade-like, emphasizing “extreme geometric precision.”
Functionally, the highlight of the new design is its refusal to use a traditional spoiler. Instead, a pair of active flaps on the rear can stay flush with the body or extend out to provide additional downforce within specific speed ranges.
As Ferrari’s press release states clearly, the 12Cilindri is a car aimed at an elite set of “connoisseurs with a very clear vision of what Ferrari’s DNA has always been.” With pricing supposedly somewhere in the lower $400,000 range, that description tracks.
And while we doubt this is the last naturally aspirated V12 Ferrari will make, if it does work out that way, Ferrari at least looks like it’ll be capping off nearly 80 years of engine evolution on a high note.
2025 Ferrari 12Clindri
8 ORIGINAL PHOTOS
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