Ferrari 12 Cilindri 2024 review – 819bhp super GT tested on road and track
And it's not the computers doing all of this for you, either. Despite all of the technology at play, it's clear that this is a mechanically well-sorted car too. Downsides?
I feel like I'm the wrong shape for the seats; I can't quite get the support as I need for my shoulders and upper back, and when I set the base at a comfortable distance for my legs, I find the wheel is a bit of a stretch. Low-speed manouevring isn't helped by the large turning circle and enormous blind spots; the (excellent) camera system is essential for parking. Although by the time we return to the launch base we've covered more than 200 miles, on track, on motorway, on rural roads, in traffic and on quiet roads, I still feel like we're just getting to know the 12 Cilindri.
Colleagues who've driven the F12 and 812 go a little wide-eyed at the memory, describing them as intense, dramatic cars. There's less immediate drama and intensity here, but I'm quite captivated by the 12 Cilindri. Speaking of the car's design, Ferrari's design director Flavio Manzoni describes it as 'an object that might catch you off guard at first, but once you understand it you fall in love with it.
If you love a design straight away, sometimes you get bored of it quickly; you want it to grow into you.' I think the 12 Cilindri as a whole is a little like that; a car you need to spend time with to fully appreciate. And the fact that it's still possible for Ferrari to produce its high-revving, naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 in 2024 is quite remarkable.
Happily, Ferrari says it hasn't named the car after its engine because it's a swansong for the V12; it will keep building V12-powered cars for as long as it is feasible to do so, and Maranello doesn't suggest this will be the last car of its kind.
The 12 Cilindri is an intriguing car with a unique personality; quite unlike any other current Ferrari, or any other GT car or front-engined supercar, in fact.
It wears its name well.