WILD THING

FERRARI'S 12 CILINDRI IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FRONT- ENGINE CARS MARANELLO HAS EVER CREATED

- WORDS ANGUS MACKENZIE

Red lights march across the top of the steering wheel rim in lockstep with the ever more intense howl from the big V-12 and an endless surge of acceleration. Then it’s one-two blues and a quick snap of the right-hand paddle to avoid kissing the 9,500-rpm rev limiter. There's a crack from the exhaust as the dual-clutch transmission engages the next gear, and the V-12's howl momentarily changes pitch. But that seemingly endless surge of acceleration continues unabated. We flash past the braking marker at 180 mph. Yeah, the Ferrari 12 Cilindri is awful fast in a straight line.

The speed is hardly surprising, perhaps, given the new 12 Cilindri packs the most powerful V-12 ever installed in a factory-built front-engine Ferrari, a febrile naturally aspirated rev monster that displaces 6.5 liters and produces 818 hp at an almost unimaginable 9,250 rpm, with 500 lb-ft of torque on tap at 7,250 rpm. What is surprising, however, is just how fast this front-engine Ferrari is through the corners. It has the long-hood, cab-rear proportions of classic Ferrari gran turismos such as the 365 GTB/4 Daytona, but it will demolish a winding two-lane road with the sure-footed elan of the mid-engine 296 GTB. Indeed, the Ferrari 12 Cilindri looks like a GT, but it drives like a sports car.

Gianmaria Fulgenzi, the Italian company's product development chief, says the 12 Cilindri is a Ferrari “for the few.” What he means—apart from the starting price of $464,000 when it arrives in the U.S. this year, ensuring few people will be able to afford one—is it’s a car designed for Ferrari afficionados who lust after Maranello's front-engine V-12s.