It is only after you are done with the experience that you start to think of the perks of having driven a super sports car. The photo for the mantelpiece, bragging rights on FB, that tick off on your bucket-list - all of that comes after you deal with the fear!

But this is a different kind of fear, not the overpowering kind, but one that is drowned by a heady mix of excitement, anticipation and a bit of bravado. Fear is there, skulking in the background, but you are focusing on the fun to be had.

That was the feeling flowing through my nerves as I sat behind the wheel of the new Ferrari F12berlinetta. The warmth of the seat and the aroma of the full grain leather interior fill my senses. It felt a bit like slipping into the hot springs in an area with a lot of volcanic activity. As you go ooh and aah, you are also fearful if you might have to run for your life.

Current day Ferraris are great to drive on the road everyday and if you treat them with respect they will pay you back by behaving like a luxury sports car. Twist the Manettino to race mode and a Ferrari completely changes its colours. Changing it to race mode on the track where you think the environment is controlled still means fear and excitement at the same time.

I was at the Yas Marina race track in Abu Dhabi getting ready to take on the turns with the highest performance Ferrari ever built. The beast – its V12 engine – was thrumming just in front of me.

Track date

There is a lot to be said about a company that classifies its engines into three categories V8s, V10s and V12s. Ferrari’s V12s are worshipped not because of their numerical supremacy, but simply because every 12-cylinder sports car that’s ever been launched by Ferrari since 1947 has set a new benchmark for performance in the segment.

The F12berlinetta is the Italian super sports car brand’s latest mid-front 12-cylinder GT (Grand Tourer) model. It’s the successor to the 599 GTB Fiorano – a car that was considered the most beautiful Ferrari ever. So, clearly the designers and engineers at Maranello had a big benchmark to beat. It is the product of the ongoing collaboration between the Ferrari Style Centre and famed Italian design house Pininfarina.

The F12berlinetta sports the classic design cues of a Ferrari 12-cylinder model. Balanced proportions, symmetry in its styling at the front and rear, sculpted body surfaces and a taste of its mind-numbing 740 CV power written all over. It has welcoming front looks, but the huge bonnet grille in the front that is meant to the cool the naturally aspirated V12 engine, the pronounced wings, the air scoops in the flanks and the ridges on the roof to channel air flow are all features that are indicative of the power of the car. The T-theme at the rear adds to the symmetry, but its prominent lip also serves a purpose in boosting downforce.

I have been on the Yas Marina circuit a few times in the past, but getting to know the car and the track is very essential before one can start to have some serious fun. The track is more than 5.5 kms long and has 21 turns in all. The first couple of laps in the F12 and I start to understand the car’s purpose built construction. The engine and the driver’s seat have both been lowered for lower CG and better stability, the wheelbase is shorter and the new gearbox and suspension layout has enabled a tight, compact rear. The successor to the 599 GTB Fiorana, as a result still manages a perfect weight distribution of 54:46 rear to front. Remarkable for a mid-front engined sports car.

Performance

On the track, the F12 accelerates effortlessly and despite telling myself that turns 5 and 6 are deceptively smooth and quick but difficult to handle at speeds, I find myself doing last minute panic braking. The F12 is capable of going from standstill to 200 kmph in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 340 kmph. Of course, I wasn’t trying to test the veracity of this claim on the track. My eyes stayed stuck on the windscreen trying to match my wits with the beast.

With the level of last minute braking that I was doing, the one feature that I was sure thankful for was the active brake cooling system. A system of guide vanes on the brake air ducts open automatically when the brakes’ operating temperatures are high.

The F12 shares the 6,262cc, naturally aspirated, 65-degree V12 engine with the FF. The engine produces 730 HP of power at 8,250 rpm and 690 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The F12’s gearbox is the same 7-speed F1 Dual Clutch semi-automatic transmission that is also found in the California, the 458 Italia and the FF. Combined with Ferrari’s HELE start-stop system and other technologies, this more powerful engine is also about 30 per cent more efficient compared to the previous V12.

The best part about this powertrain is level of tractability that you can get out of it. Driving it at slow speeds is equally convenient thanks to almost 80 per cent of the torque being available even at 2,500 rpm. The super-precise and perfectly weighted steering wheel also makes the car listen to my every twitch and turn.

The car requires less steering input at the wheel while cornering, there is better traction when accelerating out of bends and braking distances have been drastically reduced thanks to the new CCM3 brakes and the active cooling system.

To keep the equally eager passenger in the F12 informed, Ferrari engineers have incorporated a digital display just above the glove-box. This provides information like the current gear selected, the vehicle’s speed and a bar graph displaying the engine rpm level. How is that for driver and passenger involvement!

Cut back to the circuit and I was gaining speed and confidence after spending some quality time on the track. I approach turn 21, prod the steering paddle and shift down to third gear, apex the corner and begin the next lap. To my right is the pit lane and to my left is the grand stand. As I floor the throttle to speed past the straight, the sweet sound from the double twin exhausts echo off the high roof of the stand and I finally break into a smile. Ferrari’s fastest road-going super car is tameable after all.

Bottomline

The F12 I test drove came with a package of handcrafted Frau Leather and carbon-fibre. There is an elaborate personalisation programme that Ferrari offers to its customers for the car, so there are many more options available.

The F12berlinetta will officially be available for bookings by Indian buyers later this month. Expect the price to be about Rs 4.5 crore, ex-showroom.

muralidhar.s@thehindu.co.in

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