It’s a little hard to believe that the F12, Ferrari’s range-topping front-engine two-seater GT, is now 5 years old. Perhaps to mark the occasion (or not), the Italian marque is readying a special version of it to premiere at the upcoming 2017 Geneva Motor Show.
Having said that, its announcement and eventual unveiling might be tinged with sorrow as it this purported ‘F12 M’ is reported by Autocar UK to be the final resting place of Ferrari’s high-revving naturally aspirated V12. In the F12’s case, it’s the Tipo F140 series engines that also powered the LaFerrari hypercar and, in previous iterations, the Ferrari 599 and Ferrari Enzo.
Going forward, it’s probable that all Ferrari’s will be powered by a turbocharged engine and/or be augmented by an electric motor like the LaFerrari.
Displacing 6.3-litres, the F12berlinetta’s 544kW V12 held the record as the most powerful atmospheric engine (by specific output) in a series production car during its introduction in 2012, topped only by the more powerful limited edition F12tdf which had the same engine but tuned to a loftier 574kW.
The F12 M’s engine could likely exceed even that, making it even quicker and more accelerative than the already terrifyingly rapid ‘standard’ F12, which can sprint to 100km/h in just 3.1 seconds, or 2.9 seconds for the F12tdf.
Naturally, because the F12 M is shaping up to be not only be the ultimate expression of the F12 generation as well as the last in an illustrious line of screaming V12 engines from Ferrari, the car will sport a fair few special bits to set it apart.
The styling will reportedly not be tampered with too much, thankfully, with only ‘evolutionary’ changes made to the visuals, though some additional tweaks to its aero package might be necessary, some of which might manifest on the body.
Finer calibration of its chassis parameters, active rear steering system, as well as stability/traction control and transmission software should result in marked dynamic improvements over the F12tdf, and Ferrari seems to be keen on it gaining the dual-screen infotainment system seen on the GTC4Lusso.
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