Using model-based control logic developed entirely in-house by Ferrari, the rear axle steering automatically adjusts the rear wheels, working out the optimal steering angle as a function of the steering wheel angle, speed of steering inputs and vehicle speed. Ferrari only quotes a dry weight, which is 3,120 lbs, so with all fluids and a driver on board the auto still isn’t exactly light for a two-seater coupe.
Advertisement
Inside the Ferrari F12tdf that honours the Tour de France, a legendary endurance road race that it dominated in the 1950s and ’60s, particularly with the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta which won four consecutive editions. Although I’ve not yet heard it, I am sure it sounds like a Saturn V rocket getting into a shouting match with a lion.
Ferrari has also fitted a revised version of its F1 DCT automatic, giving the F12tdf six per cent shorter gear ratios, 30 per cent faster upshifts and 40 per cent downshifts.
The most noticeable change that sets the F12tdf apart is its design. One-piece brake calipers similar to the ones that equip the sold-out LaFerrari allow the F12tdf to screech from 124 miles per hour to a complete stop in just over 130 yards. For comparison, the current Ford Explorer takes 122 feet to slow from 60 miles per hour to 0. The F12tdf has lapped Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in 1min 21sec – two seconds faster than the regular F12 Berlinetta but not as fast as the LaFerrari’s 1min 19sec. However, Ferrari also has a storied history of producing pavement ripping front-engine exotics that can make a grown man weep. The add-ons increase downforce by up to 87 percent while giving the tdf a much more menacing look. Thanks to the drastic reshaping of the auto, it weighs 242 pounds less than the Berlinetta. The weight savings have been achieved by extensive use of carbonfibre inside and out. And though the carbon fiber-covered interior, which Ferrari calls “Spartan”, is less luxurious, it’s nonetheless stylish – looking a bit like the suit of the caped crusader. It features a radically scooped lower section and incorporates a competition car-inspired splitter, dive planes, floor wings and louvres to boost the efficiency of both the sides and the underbody.
Of all the wonderful things about the F12tdf, there is one bad bit: its rarity. Well, essentially, this is an F12 Speciale, which means added lightness, horsepower, and sheer theatre – oh, and only 799 will be built, so it’s super exclusive.
Advertisement
Like most people, I’ve always felt the Ferrari F12berlinetta (I didn’t forget a space, that’s how they like the name) was a little too tame.
