Of course, that doesn’t mean the F12 TdF – short for Tour de France, an endurance road race that Ferrari was near-unstoppable in back in the 50s and 60s – has been capped.
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Additional details will come at the car’s formal launch on November 8, Ferrari promised. The F12 Berlinetta’s screaming 6.3-litre V12 has been upgraded to 780 metric horsepower. Torque gets a sizeable bump as well bringing the final lb-ft number to 520 lb-ft. In comparison, the standard F12 Berlinetta makes do with 729 hp and 508 lb-ft. A seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox has the arduous task of funnelling all that firepower the rear wheels.
It has also received hand-me-downs from Ferrari’s F1 team with the use of race-inspired mechanical tappets and variable-geometry intake trumpets from the racers along with a 6 per cent reduction in gear ratios that delivers 30 per cent faster upshifts and 40 per cent faster downshifts.
Even a cursory glance will tell you the F12 tdf looks radically different to the F12 Berlinetta. Ferrari says the F12 tdf produces 507 lbs of downforce at 124 miles per hour, nearly double what the F12 Berlinetta is producing. The engine’s rev limit is also raised 200rpm to 8900rpm.
The cabin shows the affects of the weight-saving efforts, with faux suede instead of leather, floor mats axed in favor of patterned aluminum on the floor, the glove box replaced with knee padding, and simpler door panels made of carbon fiber. The car’s natural tendency to oversteer as a result of the change in tyre sizes is compensated for by the innovative rear-wheel steering system – known as the Virtual Short Wheelbase, which is integrated with the other vehicle dynamic control systems – that guarantees the steering wheel response times and turn-in of a competition auto while increasing stability at high speed. Furthermore, the F12tdf can reach higher cornering thanks to an 87-percent increase in downforce. The rears are 315s. In keeping with that theme – fast, comfortable GT cars turned into track beasts, Ferrari has taken the F12berlinetta GT vehicle and transformed it into this, a powerful, drivable road auto that’s also awesome on the track.
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Monikered as the F12tdf, the Italian supercar-maker says the limited edition rocketship – 799 will be built and they’re reportedly already all sold – pays homage to the Tour de France – not the bicycle race, but a sports auto race that began in 1899. Once production is complete, we’re likely to see the F12 undergo a mid-cycle update.
