Ferrari F12berlinetta

2013 Ferrari F12berlinetta

The story about the rivalry between the Prancing Horse, that is Ferrari, and the Raging Bull, that is Lamborghini, have been baffling around for years. When Lambo launched the LP560-4 Gallardo, which was proven to be quicker than the Ferrari Scuderia, Ferrari combated with the utterly magnificent 458 Italia that packs more power than the LP560-4. Then Lamborghini responded to them with the LP570-4 Superleggera, which has similar power than the Italia, and the Aventador, which packs more punch than the Ferrari 599 GTO! Now however, the Prancing Horse revealed their brand new flagship which will surely hit the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 where it hurts...speed.

Welcome everybody to the all new Ferrari flagship that ushers in the new generation of the Prancing Horse's V12 engine and it has more power than the outgoing 599 GTO and the Enzo. The all new, all powerful Ferrari F12berlinetta is all focused on power that the Prancing Horse deserves. This new flagship once said it lapped faster in the Fiorano Circuit than the outgoing 599 GTO, making it the most powerful road-legal Ferrari ever made. At first glance then, the F12berlinetta is a bit more like the Ferrari FF taking some Viagra but all that Pininfarina styling is what made the F12 dramatic. And by dramatic, I mean of course, more pantomime than physics lesson.

For the cream of the crop, let us introduce to Ferrari's all new 6.3L 65° V12 engine, which is now hailed as the most powerful naturally aspirated engines...in the world. Wait, hold it...Is it really the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the world and is it well enough to kick the Lambo Aventador where it hurts? Is the engine good enough for the late Enzo Ferrari to kick Ferruccio Lamborghini's buttocks? Let's see...

The 6.3L V12 engine on the all new F12berlinetta produces about 740PS of power, more than the Lamborghini LP700-4! That's one point for this one. Anyway, for the torque, they possess the same torque output of 690 Nm. So that's a draw for both the F12 and the LP700-4. For the transmission however, that's a challenge. While the LP700-4 has a 7-speed single clutch transmission, the F12 has only...6 gears but its an F1 dual-clutch transmission, which has closer gear ratios developed specifically for this car's performance. Well, double clutch is better than single clutch so it appears that they're neck to neck.

So, what about how they weigh? While the Aventador weighs only 1.575 kg, the F12 weighs about 1.630 kg but with the LP700-4's power to weight ratio is 2,25 kg/PS, the F12's ratio is 2,20 kg/PS, making it an impressive advantage because of its 740PS V12 engine.

Now, this is gets real. The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4...0-100kph in 2.9 seconds and top speed of 350 km/h. On the new Ferrari F12berlinetta though...oh dear...0-100kph in 3,1 seconds and top speed of 340km/h. It's about 10kph slower than the LP700-4.

My comment:
This is awkward. 10kph slower than the LP700-4 isn't the least of the F12's problems but still, I will respect this car more than the LP700-4 because when it comes to big power in the new V12 engine, the F12berlinetta is my winner. This is the cream of the crop, a true Pininfarina masterpiece. Sure, it lapped quicker than the 599 GTO at the Fiorano test track but I'm afraid unlike the LP700-4, it doesn't even win my heart until I got the chance...to drive it. If I have the chance to drive it, I have the chance that I'm going to like this car more than the 458 or the FF.

Photo: Ferrari