It’s the pinnacle of engines, but every time I get behind the wheel of a V12 there’s a sombre thought that it will be my last. Thankfully, today is not that day because I’ve flown halfway around the world to Lisbon, Portugal to drive one of the survivors.
Here it is, the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider (from AUD$886,800 plus on-roads). This is an 830 HP (+30 HP over 812 Superfast), 6.5-litre Naturally Aspirated V12-powered vehicle that has a redline of 9,500 RPM, which is the highest for a Ferrari road-going V12 despite tough emissions regulations.
Just knowing that production V12 Ferraris are going to be around for a little longer is enough for most enthusiasts, but you probably want to know if this car is as good as advertised. Well, let’s take a closer look at the Ferrari 12Cilinidri Spider.
How Much is the Ferrari 12Cilinidri Spider?
The Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider is priced from AUD$886,800 plus on-road costs, and this makes it one of the most expensive cars you can buy in Australia.
Ferrari’s tagline for this car is quite literally “Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, For the Few.” However, it’s not because of price. Even if you hit the lottery today and had a million bucks lying around to buy one, only a handful of the brand’s top clients will be offered the chance to follow through and purchase the car. Ferrari can only make so many V12s each year to comply with emissions regulations, and because of this, they have to be very selective about who they want behind the wheel of these cars. You’ll need a long history of Ferraris to get one.
Here’s the complete list of pricing for the Ferrari 12Cilindri line-up in Australia:
- Ferrari 12Cilindri Coupe – from AUD$803,500 plus on-road costs.
- Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider – from AUD$886,800 plus on-road costs.
I should also mention at this point that this purchase price includes seven years of complimentary servicing. While most luxury car manufacturers want to squeeze their clients into servicing a fast, luxury car, that’s simply not in the spirit of Ferrari, who would rather you drive your car.
Now, let’s see what the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider competes with, if anything.
What Does the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider Compete With?
There are only a handful of potential “competitors” to the Ferrari 12 Cilindri Spider, and none of them have V12s. Here’s a quick look at what someone with a million dollars lying around and a penchant for drop-top GTs would also consider:
- Aston Martin DB12 Volante (from AUD$492,000 plus on-roads)
- Bentley Continental GTC Speed (from AUD$581,900 plus on-roads)
- 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (992.2) (from AUD$437,900 plus on-roads)
You probably won’t catch any Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider buyers at their local dealership lining up for any of the cars we’ve listed above. However, if you happen to find yourself in a predicament trying to decide which of these fast, million-dollar GT convertibles to choose from and you can’t make your mind up, maybe consider a boat instead.
How Does the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider Look?
- The Ferrari Styling Centre’s Vision
- A Futuristic Take on Classic Gran Turismo Lines
- Aerodynamic Precision with Active Aero Elements
- The Signature Spider Silhouette and Retractable Hardtop
Let’s talk about the design of the 12Cilindri Spider first because I know this is controversial for many. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no mistaking this car for anything but stunning, sophisticated, and rather masculine in the flesh. I had my apprehensions after only seeing it in highly digitised press shots, and they don’t do it justice. Oh, and removing the roof has done nothing to ruin the silhouette.
The 12Cilindri was never designed to represent the classic definition of “beautiful” like the Aston Martin DB12 Volante or even the Ferrari 812 GTS that came before it. It’s reimagining what a long-bonnet GT could look like with a sci-fi twist and plenty of monolithic elements thrown in for good measure
Ferrari designers deliberately steered the looks away from the signature design language of a modern car, and even though it will ruffle a few feathers, I quite like it.
There’s a distinct lack of elongated form in the headlights, and at the rear, the light signature is a long blade-like concave element sculptured with Ferrari Roma-inspired taillights.
It’s a winning combination, but if I were to change anything, I believe it’s lost some of that classic Ferrari design DNA in the rear end. I could care less about the monobrow at the front (I actually quite like it), but I would’ve loved the round taillights to return from the F12 and 812 Superfast. Driving the car around Lisbon for the afternoon, I’m just not sure the average person on the street would look at this car and say, “OMG, a Ferrari,” like they would with a 296GTS. Then again, maybe that’s exactly the point.
What’s the Interior of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider Like?
- Dual-Cockpit Layout for Driver and Passenger Immersion
- 15.6-inch Driver Display, 10.25-inch Central Touchscreen, 8.8-inch Passenger Display
- Premium Burmester Audio System for a 360° Listening Experience
- Roof up/down takes 14 seconds (speeds of up to 43km/h)
The Ferrari 12Cilindri adopts the dual-cockpit layout that we’ve seen in the Purosangue, Roma, and Roma Spider. Here, it combines a new 10.25-inch central touchscreen that supports wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto with a 15.6-inch driver display and an 8.8-inch passenger display that tells your co-driver information such as G-forces and RPM.
I’m still not a lover of the backlit capacitive touch controls on the steering wheel. However, the addition of a centre screen means you don’t have to rely on these buttons to control your Apple CarPlay screen.
I spent four hours behind the wheel of a 12Cilindri Spider with the comfort seats and I wouldn’t even look at the optional carbon-fibre buckets for a second. Combine the comfort seats with the Neck Warmer (Spider only), Heated Steering Wheel in carbon fibre (Optional), and the 15-speaker 1,600-watt Burmester High-End Audio System (Optional) and you’ve got the base of an outstanding grand tourer.
Of course, being a GT there’s a surprising amount of storage and you’ll find a reasonably sized glove box, deep centre console, wireless charging for your phone, and even a 200-litre boot with a low loading threshold for easy access. If you plan on travelling long distances in your 12Cilindri Spider we highly recommend the custom Ferrari luggage set (Optional).
What’s Under the Bonnet of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider?
- Naturally Aspirated 6.5-litre V12 Engine
- Produces 830 HP and has a 9,500 RPM redline
- Need we say more?
The 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 under the bonnet of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider is the highlight of this vehicle. With the addition of 6-in-1 equal-length exhaust manifolds, titanium connecting rods, new aluminium pistons, and more, it produces 830 HP @ 9,250rpm (+30 HP over 812 Superfast) and 678 Nm of torque @ 7,250rpm with a redline of 9,500rpm.
It sends all of this power to the ground through a new 8-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) with 30 per cent faster shifts, 5 per cent shorter lower gear ratios, and 12 per cent more torque at the wheels. This gearbox is the best I’ve ever used, and I’d put it a notch above the PDK in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
You can’t talk about a V12 in the modern era without mentioning emissions regulations. It’s quite remarkable that Ferrari has achieved an increase in horsepower despite it being filled to the brim with emissions systems that mean the engine is compliant with even the most stringent global standards, including EU6E (Europe), China 6B (China), and Bin 50 (USA).
The lesser talked about emissions are noise emissions, and the 12Cilindri is also compliant with current standards in the EU. Sadly, this means cars cannot be louder than 74 decibels, and the overall sound has suffered because of this.
Still, it’s not like the 12Cilindri Spider sounds like anything but a Ferrari from inside the car and the brand has routed as much intake sound as possible into the cabin through physical tubing from the intake manifolds.
How Does the Ferrari 12Cilindri Drive?
- Active Rear Flaps for Optimised Downforce
- Advanced Side Slip Control (SSC 8.0)
- Four-Wheel Independent Steering for Unmatched Agility
- Chassis Reinforcements for Maximum Rigidity
- 0-100 km/h in 2.9 Seconds
- Top Speed of over 340 km/h
- Brake-by-Wire System for Precision Stopping Power
It comes as no surprise, but the Ferrari 12Cilindri is not the highest-performing track-orientated model in the brand’s lineup. While we didn’t get the chance to push the car to its upper limit, that doesn’t matter as this is a GT that prefers to live most of its life at eight-tenths.
This car is about the joy of driving at modest road speeds, where you can take in the sound of the engine and appreciate the comfort of the suspension as you traverse through the French Alps. The way the V12 moves through the rev range is effortless and instrument-like, and you immediately fall in love with its character despite the restrained sound compared to models past.
Put the roof down and it amplifies this to levels that no other new car on sale today can compete with.
When a twisty road finally presents itself and you want maximum performance, you can kick down the DCT gearbox in seconds and flick the Manettino into one of its sporty settings (wet, sport, race, traction off (CT OFF), and full ESC OFF) and explore the full potential of the car with Side Slip Control (SSC) 8.0.
Most of the car’s chassis dynamics are controlled by a 6W-CDS Sensor, which is the unsung hero as it provides twice the data accuracy of previous systems to let the car think quicker and optimise braking, cornering, and dynamic control all at once.
Despite all of this trickery, it never feels like it’s doing the driving for you. You’re simply the hero, and the sensors will stop you from becoming a hero with a crashed Ferrari.
Good brakes are a given with more than 800 horsepower on tap, and the ABS Evo and Brake-by-Wire System stops the 12Cilindri Spider from 100-0 km/h in just 31.4 meters. We rarely used more than 60 per cent of the pedal because of the road conditions and traffic on our test route, but it felt very strong and linear.
Suspension-wise, the ride comfort from the Magneride adaptive damping was perfectly balanced (despite large 21-inch wheels all around) and this can all be configured through the various drive modes. If you want stiff and darty you can have it, but I much prefer sticking it in sport and bumpy road mode for most drives. Oh, and manual for the gearbox, because the emissions regulations force the 8-speed gearbox to climb to the top of the rev range far too quickly.
The steering was the stand-out feature during my drive. It’s light and uber-sharp in typical Ferrari fashion, but unlike previous vehicles, it adopts the four-wheel independent steering (PCV 3.0) inspired by 812 Competizione and Purosangue.
This helps shrink the car in tighter corners and makes the lengthy GT feel eager and spirited. It also lets you place the front end exactly where you want in a corner and it never feels like the front end is going to lose traction. Each rear wheel steers independently, and when the front does feel like it’s pushing a little, simply prod the throttle and force the 315-section Michelin Pilot Sport S5 rear tyres to rotate the rear end around.
Finally, despite this being a convertible, I noticed no rigidity issues on our road drive. Thanks to modern manufacturing and metals, gone are the days of shaky convertibles, and there’s certainly no obnoxious shuddering over expansion joints on the highway or bumpy back roads.
Man of Many’s Verdict on the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider
Ferrari very rarely misses, and the 12Cilindri Spider is another one of its best hits.
It successfully carries the legacy of the front-engined V12 into the modern era, as Enzo would have wanted, with unique styling and all of the cutting-edge suspension and chassis technology that you could squeeze into a two-seat GT.
Unlike so many modern cars, this technology only adds to the driving experience and the duality of this car should never be understated. It can be a rocket ship or a daily commuter, and it will do all of this with the V12 under the bonnet.
Drop the top and you have one of the most desirable cars on the road today, even if it’s only “For the Few.”
