driving out of corners — it’s how much of the 819 hp gets down to the road that’s truly surprising. The old 812 Superfast was the same way. In part that’s due to clever electronics, but it’s also due to the extremely linear nature of this V12’s power delivery. It builds and builds and builds and keeps building long past the point where you think it’s time to grab another gear. Compared to the 812, the engine’s noise isn’t quite as spine-tingling, but let this V12 run above 5,000 rpm and it can still inspire awe. The extremely quick-ratio steering seems to rear your mind. The rear-wheel steering system (which is now able to adjust the angle of each rear wheel independently) makes the car freakishly agile. That takes some getting used to because your eyes simply can’t believe it. Looking out over the endless hood your brain is telling you it should handle like a yacht, but it’s more like a jet-ski. Press the bumpy-road button on the steering wheel and you could use this car like a yacht, though, taking a quick jaunt along the Riviera from Cannes to Nice. Like all modern Ferraris it’s more comfortable than it has any right to be. I could do without the extra screen in front of the passenger and those touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel are finicky but these issues are minor. Simply looking at the 12Cilindri is exciting. Its designers were inspired by the sci-fi drawings of Syd Mead and 1970s futurism and, obviously, the Ferrari Daytona of the late 1960s. Seen outside in the sunshine the 12Cilindri looks utterly original, not to mention low and long. Make up your own mind, but I think it’s much better-looking than the 812 Superfast or any other front-engine Ferrari since the 550 Maranello. Driving this golden lightning bolt is a reminder of why we all like cars and driving them in the first place. It’s part power- fantasy, part senseless infatuation with all things mechanical and well-made, part skill and part monkey-brain thrill-seeking. Again, I’m sorry, but the new Ferrari really is spectacular.
tourer are looking for a particular sort of experience; they’re looking to mainline pure Ferrari and that’s exactly what the 12Cilindri delivers. As Jacopo Marcon, Ferrari’s product marketing manager for the 12Cilindri said: “with this model we’re keeping our purist tradition alive, addressing those clients for whom Ferrari means the most.” It rained in Luxembourg the night before my drive and the roads here are still wet and greasy, covered with leaves, and 819 horsepower deserves respect. It’s not that the rear end tweaks sideways faster than you can think — if you’re foolish enough to ask for too much power
"Seen outside in the sunshine the 12Cilindri looks utterly original, not to mention low and long."
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