The Ferrari F12 TDF Is A 769 HP Grand Tourer Turned Racecar
By Paulo Acoba
Ferrari essentially took their popular F12 Berlinetta and turned the dial up to 11.
The F12 Berlinetta has always been a fine grand tourer and while it doesn’t really need more power, whose going to stop Ferrari from imbuing their screamer of a V12 with a bit more oomph. Earlier today (Oct. 13, 2015) Ferrari went ahead and announced that they’ve taken their F12 Berlinetta, increased power, lightened the overall weight, threw on a lovely aero kit and added some tech to keep everything running smoothly. The TDF in Ferrari F12 TDF stands for Tour De France ( not the bike race but the auto race) and hearkens back to the legendary endurance race where Ferrari dominated in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Ferrari has allocated a production run of 799 units.
First, Ferrari has taken the 6.3 V12 and added another 39 HP bringing the total to 769 HP. Torque gets a sizeable bump as well bringing the final lb-ft number to 520 lb-ft. All that generous torque is available down low where it counts at a lumbering 2500 RPM. Improvements carry over to the transmission where Ferrari takes their 7-speed DCT and shortens gearing by six percent, makes upshifts faster by 30 percent and downshifts by 40 percent.
Handling-wise, Ferrari increased the front tire width by 20 mm and added rear steering to the rear which they call their “Virtual Short Wheelbase system.” You’ll surely feel those improvements on the racetrack or out on the open road. Ferrari spared no expense in making sure that there’s plenty of downforce with 87 percent more compared to a stock Berlinetta. Weight savings in total come close to 240 pounds.
When all is said and done, this Italian exotic can hit 60 MPH in 2.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 211 MPH. Around their own private test track of Fiorano, it’s a whole 2 seconds faster than the car it improves upon.
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