Ferrari F12 berlinetta – Australian pricing

Ahead of its 2013 Australian release a stunning Ferrari F12 berlinetta has been doing the rounds, having been previewed already in Melbourne and Sydney, with Perth to follow next week. If you’d like to buy one you’ll need—make sure you’re sitting down—$691,100 plus on road costs. Yikes!

It’s the most powerful road car Ferrari has ever made, thanks to its 6262cc V12 engine, producing 544kW at 8500rpm and 690Nm of torque at 6000rpm. And we think it looks tops.

And for those worried that the purchase price is a bit steep, there’s already an 18 month waiting list. Local deliveries are expected to commence in the middle of next year.

To help celebrate the Australian launch of the F12 berlinetta we’ve assembled 50 photos from Ferrari’s archives for you. Of course, all are available in 2000px sizing by simply click on the pics.

Pro tip: There’s a $70 million OzLotto draw on tomorrow night. But we’ve already bought the winning ticket, so our advice is to save yourself the hassle!

Fastest Ferrari flies into Australia

• Australian and New Zealand pricing announced

The Ferrari F12berlinetta, the fastest road car produced by the legendary Italian supercar maker, has made its debut in Australia with a special launch event in Sydney today (23 October 2012) which will be followed by launch events in Melbourne on 25 October and Perth on 6 November.

“There could be no better time for the Ferrari F12berlinetta to make its first appearance in Australia,” says Simon Inglefield Head of Region, Ferrari Asia Pacific, “Its arrival is a fitting culmination of events celebrating sixty years of Ferrari in Australia and it is appropriate that these celebrations started with a parade at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, an event that has seen many a highlight in Ferrari’s motorsport history, and concluded with the arrival of a car that is the very apex of road-going technical, design and styling achievement by Ferrari.”

The Ferrari F12berlinetta made its Australian debut in front of an eminent group of Australian Ferrari clients at Ferrari Maserati Sydney as the climax of an event that celebrated Ferrari’s achievements on the race track and as the benchmark producer of road-going supercars. Ferrari’s long history in Australia, one of the first countries outside Italy to be visited by ‘The Prancing Horse’ also figured heavily in an evening dedicated to Ferrari and the pursuit of the ultimate high performance car. The depth and breadth of the abilities of the F12berlinetta was brought home to the guests by the people behind the design and development of the car and those who have driven the car in testing.

“There is one word that runs through the entire history of Ferrari as a scarlet thread linking every race win, every championship title, every road car every person who works for Ferrari and every person who has owned a Ferrari,” says Kevin Wall, General Manager of Ferrari in Australia and New Zealand. “That word is passion. You see sit in the grandstands at every Grand Prix; you see it whenever owners gather to talk about their cars, you hear it when you talk to people at Maranello and if it is possible to have a visible manifestation of the word passion, it is the Ferrari F12berlinetta.”

Ferrari announced at the launch that the Australian price for the Ferrari F12berlinetta will be $691,100 excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and delivery, while in New Zealand Ferrari’s fastest ever car will arrive with a price of $693,100 excluding dealer costs and delivery. Although the first cars will not arrive until the middle of 2013 there is already an 18 month waiting list for the new Italian super car.

The F12berlinetta is the most powerful and high-performance Ferrari road car ever launched thanks to the incredibly efficient engine – in terms of mechanical, combustion and fluid-dynamics efficiency – which, together with advanced vehicle architecture, aerodynamics, components and electronic controls, guarantee unsurpassed driving involvement whatever the road or track.
Ferrari’s traditional transaxle layout has been revolutionised to match the more extreme performance of the car. The wheelbase has been shortened and the engine, dashboard and seats have been lowered in the chassis, while the new layout of the rear suspension and gearbox enabled Ferrari’s engineers to shorten the rear overhang. The overall result is a compact car with a lower centre of gravity that is further back in the chassis, and a level of aerodynamic efficiency that sets new standards.

Scaglietti, renowned for its expertise in aluminium materials and construction, designed an all-new spaceframe chassis and bodyshell using 12 different kinds of alloys, some of which have been used here for the first time in the automotive sector, and employing new assembly and joining techniques. This has resulted in a 20 per cent increase in structural rigidity while reducing weight to just 1525 kg (70 kg less than the previous V12 coupé) with an ideal distribution between the axles (54 per cent over the rear).

The F12berlinetta’s 6262cc 65° V12 engine delivers unprecedented performance and revs for a naturally-aspirated 12-cylinder. Its maximum power output is 740 CV which translates to a specific output of 118 CV/l. Torque reaches a peak of 690 Nm, 80 per cent of which is already available at just 2,500 rpm, and which provides an unrelenting surge of acceleration all the way to the 8,500 rpm limit. The engine is mated to the F1 dual-clutch transmission, which has closer gear ratios developed specifically for this car’s performance. The F12berlinetta boasts a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.1 kg/CV.

Fuel consumption has been reduced by 16%, with CO2 emissions of just 350 g/km – figures which put the F12berlinetta at the top of the high-performance league. These results have been obtained by extensive research and development which focused on efficiencies of the whole vehicle: engine, aerodynamics, tyres and weights.

Similarly excellent results have been obtained with the car’s aerodynamic development, thanks to the integration of the design process with extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and lengthy testing in the wind tunnel. Downforce has been boosted by 76 per cent (136 kg at 200 km/h) while drag has been significantly reduced (the Cd is just 0.299). These results come courtesy of two new solutions. The first of these is the Aero Bridge which uses the bonnet to generate downforce by channelling air away from the upper part of the car to its flanks where it interacts with the wake from the wheel wells to decrease drag. The second is Active Brake Cooling, a system that opens guide vanes to the brake cooling ducts only at high operating temperatures, again reducing drag.

The F12berlinetta’s impressive technical specifications are completed by Ferrari’s latest generation carbon-ceramic brakes (CCM3) and the evolution of the magnetorheological suspension control system (SCM-E). As is now traditional with all Ferraris, its control systems (E-Diff, ESP Premium, F1-Trac, and high-performance ABS) are all fully integrated.

The result is that the new Prancing Horse 12-cylinder accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds. It also completes a lap of the Fiorano circuit in 1’23”, faster than any other Ferrari road car. Benchmark performance and maximum driving involvement are guaranteed by immediate turn-in, with smaller steering wheel angles, and increased cornering speed. Stopping distances have also been drastically reduced.

The design of the F12berlinetta is a result of the collaboration between the Ferrari Styling Centre and Pininfarina and is a perfect balance of uncompromising aerodynamics with harmonious proportions interpreting the typical elements of Ferrari’s front-engined V12 cars in an original and innovative way. A coupé with sleek, aggressive lines whose compact exterior dimensions conceal exceptional in-car space and comfort. The all-new Frau leather interior highlights the balance of advanced technology and sophisticated, handcrafted detailing. In the middle of the light and lean dashboard, there are new carbon fibre and aluminium air vents clearly inspired by the aeronautic field.

The cabin has been optimised to ensure maximum usability of the interior space with additional luggage capacity behind the seats, which can also be easily reached thanks to the large aperture offered by the tail-gate. With the cockpit designed around the driver, typical of all Ferraris, the Human Machine Interface approach is emphasised, grouping all the major commands within immediate reach to guarantee maximum ergonomics for the most involving driving experience.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine
Type: 65-degree V12
Total displacement: 6262 cc
Maximum power output: 740 CV at 8500 rpm
Maximum torque: 690 Nm at 6000 rpm

Dimensions and weight
Length: 4618 mm
Width: 1942 mm
Height: 1273 mm
Dry weight: 1525 kg*
Weight distribution: 46% front, 54% rear
Weight-power ratio: 2,1 kg/CV

Performance
Maximum speed: over 340 km/h
0-100 km/h: 3.1 seconds

Fuel consumption and emissions (ECE + EUDC combined cycle)
Consumption: 15 l/100 km**
CO2: 350 g/km**

*With lightweight options
**With HELE System