New limited edition version of F12berlinetta takes power and performance to an even higher level
The Ferrari F12berlinetta is one of a handful of cars to sport more than 700 horsepower, the F12berlinetta at 730hp to be exact. To keep things fresh after three and a half years of producing the F12berlinetta, Ferrari is releasing a limited edition version of the car that takes things even further. The designers in Maranello love lowercase letters as much as they love over the top driving machines, so the new model is called the F12tdf, and just 799 units will be made – and you can bet most if not all are already accounted for.
Named for the Tour de France endurance road race – it pays homage to the Tour de France – not the bicycle race, but a sports car race that began in 1899. The race has not been held since 1986 but Ferrari dominated the race in the 1950s and ’60s, particularly with the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta which won numerous editions. Oh, and of course Ferrari made the new F12tdf really, really yellow.
Many people only know of the Tour de France as a premier bicycle race with men wearing yellow jerseys and tight shorts, but the Tour de France was also an automobile race that ran from 1899 to 1986 with Ferrari winning nine consecutive titles with the spectacular 250 GT/GTO from 1956 through 1964. While the route changed from year to year, the 7-day race covered hundreds of miles per day and traditionally started in Nice winding its way north through the Alps before turning east and then heading back to the Mediterranean coast.
The car keeps the same 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine as the regular F12 Berlinetta, but power has been boosted from 730bhp to 770bhp at 8500rpm, while torque has increased from 509lb ft to 520lb ft at 6750rpm. Ferrari says 80% of the car’s torque is available from 2500rpm.
The new Ferrari is capable of reaching 60mph in 2.8sec and has a top speed of more than 211mph. Official fuel consumption is rated at 18.3mpg, with CO2 emissions of 360g/km. Ferrari says it has has used various modifications derived from its F1 cars to boost the engine’s efficiency.
Ferrari says the car’s performance is “second to none”, but that it has also been conceived to be “an extremely agile and powerful car which could also be driven by less expert drivers”. The F12tdf has lapped Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in 1min 21sec. The regular F12 Berlinetta completed the lap in 1min 23sec – the same as the new 488. The LaFerrari currently holds the fastest time on the course, with a time of 1min 19.70sec.
The interior is described as “deliberately Spartan” and that could be related to the car’s 110kg weight-loss from the base F12 model. Carbon-fibre is used extensively in the cockpit with the door panels a single shell while there is a simple knee padding where the glove compartment would normally be. Traditional leather has also gone, replaced by Alcantara, and there are no floor mats.
Pricing hasn’t yet been announced.
