F12berlinetta [Official] Ferrari Unveils Hardcore F12tdf Limited Edition Model With 780PS

[hoffmeister_fan]

The Ferrari F12tdf Is a 770 Horsepower Throwback to the Supercar Glory Days
The newest special edition Ferrari isn't friendly. It's a challenge. As it should be.
by TRAVIS OKULSKI
photography by DEAN SMITH

Ferrari is inherently intimidating. Arriving in Maranello is unlike the experience of arriving in any other home of auto manufacturing. A legend goes along with the brand, the legend of a man who was far larger than life and still demands respect today. So much so that Enzo Ferrari's office at Fiorano has been left unchanged since his death in 1988, just in case he comes back. You don't get the feeling McLaren will do something like that for Ron Dennis.


And while the brand itself may be intimidating, Ferrari's cars are friendlier than ever. The precarious knife edge that used to take bad drivers and stab them is gone, replaced by vastly more accessible cars that appeal to a wider group of clients. The knife has become distinctly more butter than stiletto.

Well, the $490,000 F12tdf is a switchblade.

"You need skill to extract the maximum," Raffaele De Simone, Ferrari's chief test driver, tells me. "It's not easy to drive at the limit, you need to learn it." That's something that hasn't been said about a supercar in quite a long time, and it's refreshing to hear that a car with nearly 800 horsepower isn't a shrinking violet.

On track at Fiorano, De Simone's words immediately ring true. This is not a car for the timid. The tdf is unapologetically, ballistically fast. Scarily fast. Incomprehensibly fast. It hits 60 from a standstill in 2.9 seconds and it nearly revs too quickly for the tach to keep up. Gears come and go, and within the eight seconds it takes a respectable family sedan to reach 60, you're doing 125. It recalibrates your brain.

With the tdf in Race on the Manettino, the car is totally stable and safe, the latest edition of Supercars for Dummies. Switch the traction control off and the car starts to come alive. Enter a corner and the enormous 285-section tires bite hard. The tail moves around while the rear-wheel steering, a Ferrari first, tries to keep you stable. With CT Off, the electronics will still intervene enough to inflate your ego at times. You can slightly drift without the danger of crashing. Get the tdf too sideways and it shuts down, a sort of reminder that it could have let you spin and crash but was benevolent enough not to. Thank you, dear tdf.

It's not friendly with all the systems off. You have to be on DefCon 5 with every application of the throttle. The tdf breaks away suddenly, and when you go to catch it, you have to be judicious with the amount of correction you apply. Combine the huge amount of front end grip with an ultra-quick steering rack that it's very easy to over-correct and spin.De Simone tells me that you need to be incredibly delicate—we're talking ant walking on a pudding skin delicate—with the steering and to romp on the brakes as hard as you dare. Unsurprisingly, his method works.

That sort of unapologetic attitude with ESC off is more than welcome. The car doesn't step in at all to help. It will reward those that are talented and will not hesitate to show every single one of your faults to anyone and everyone.

See, the tdf—which is an allusion to the old Tour de France Ferraris even though we can't actually call it a Tour de France since the bicycle race owns the trademark—is intended to be the highest performance production-based Ferrari ever. And in order to meet that target, the engineers gave the tdf an extra dose of everything. It has 770 horsepower from its 6.3-liter V12, weighs 220 pounds less than the stock F12, and runs a 1:21 around Ferrari's private Fiorano race track—a full two seconds faster than the F12 with its paltry, almost Dodge-like 730 horsepower.

The engine revs to 8900 rpm, so high that the hydraulic lifters have been replaced with lighter mechanical tappets, and it has a variable intake that isn't on the F12. The result is an engine that has 80 percent of its maximum 520 pound-feet of torque available from 2500 rpm and sounds like a banshee when you let it run to redline. Ferrari says it's the most extreme V12 it's made that isn't in a super-limited-production hypercar like the LaFerrari.

Then there's the latest iteration of Ferrari's dual-clutch gearbox upshifts 30 percent quicker and downshifts 40 percent quicker than in the regular F12. Those are improvements over shifts that were already lightning eye blink-fast, so we can't perceive the increase in speed as much as the increase in aggression—it isn't as smooth as the shifts in the F12. It also has shorter gearing for increased acceleration, but top speed remains the same at more than 210 mph.

At a quick glance, you might think that the tdf is just an F12 with a bodykit. It's actually an F12 that has had major plastic surgery. Essentially every panel is new, other than the greenhouse and a part of the roof. There's a preponderance of carbon fiber to get the weight down to nearly 3100 pounds, and the bodywork has been redesigned with an emphasis on producing real downforce. At 125 mph, it creates 500 pounds of downforce, something that De Simone says you need to trust in fast corners. That's combined with a diffuser that can actually stall at speed to reduce drag, call it the tdf's version of F1 DRS.

The tdf is also Ferrari's first application of rear-wheel steering, or Passo Corto Virtuale, which means virtual short wheelbase. It sources the controller from ZF, the same people who do the rear-steer tech on Porsches, but the software on the tdf is Ferrari. It's being used to counteract the inherent instability that the massive front grip creates on turn in. Basically, Ferrari wanted an insanely quick turn in, so they put huge rubber up front. Then they found that the car became an oversteering loon, so they had to compensate to make it possible to drive the car without spinning. Rear-steer is the solution.

The idea is that this is a car for the gentleman driver. It's supposed to live on the road with an occasional visit to the track, not the other way around. But it's no Bentley. On the roads outside of Maranello where the tdf was tuned, you find this isn't a coddling experience and that the bumpy-road setting for the dampers will only smooth out the smallest of imperfections.

It's still a large car, but it's agile and devastatingly fast on a tight Italian b-road. You can hang the tail out on hairpins, have confidence the brakes will get you stopped before dropping off a cliff, and make it up a hill faster than you think is possible. Not as fast as a local in a beat-up delivery van (since those are always the fastest vehicles on Italian roads), but pretty damn close.

But that's with aids on. Turn them all the way off, and you're right back on that tricky edge we found on the track. Do you trust yourself enough to be there on a public road?

The F12tdf is the sort of car that a beginner can get in and drive, but they can't thrash. The learning curve here is much steeper than in a car like a 488 GTB—it takes time to understand how to get the most out of the tdf. That's what makes the tdf appealing to the buyers, who Ferrari requires must own at least five Ferraris before they can purchase it.

That this isn't a friendly car continues to instill Ferrari with some of that intimidating mystique that the brand has earned since it was founded. A supercar with 770 horsepower shouldn't be easy to drive. The driver shouldn't expect to immediately be an expert. It should be a challenge. The F12tdf is that challenge.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a27340/ferrari-f12tdf-first-drive/

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

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2016 Ferrari F12tdf Review
November 17, 2015
By: Basem Wasef | Photography by The Manufacturer
FIORANO MODENESE, Italy -- Before we get to the Ferrari F12tdf, short for Tour de France, a flashback: In the summer of 2012, I stared down the straight at Ferrari’s famous Fiorano test track for the first time, my hands death-gripped around a Ferrari F12’s massive manettino-clad steering wheel, daunted by the 6.3-liter V-12 just ahead of the firewall. “Seven hundred and thirty effing horsepower,” my thoughts tumbled, pondering the proximity of Armco and the potential frailty of my career. Minutes later during a cooldown lap, I was astonished to have tussled with a crimson pussycat -- one with deep, intriguing wells of silky power and feisty fangs behind a velvety smile -- but an effortlessly quick, surprisingly drivable pussycat, nonetheless.
Three years later, familiarity returns with a curious twist. The prancing horse on the wheel is the same, but this time I’m strapped in by a harness snug against a racing seat. Hot-to-touch metal floorboards and matte carbon-fiber panels have replaced fine carpet and fragrant leather. Oh, and that purring V-12? It now bleats an anxious thrum with a sharpened edge as if its cylinder sleeves are still soaked from an all-night whiskey bender.

Gulp.

More Everything
The ol’ cat has sharpened her fangs for a limited production run, and I suspect there may be a more legitimate cause for concern this time. The devil I don’t (yet) know is the Ferrari F12tdf, named for the midcentury automotive endurance race that has since morphed into the eponymous cycling competition. The lowercase letters might have a cheery ring, but this creature’s personality has been so dramatically transformed that Ferrari kindly requested that the four U.S. journalists at this first drive possess a racing license. I don’t.
Double gulp.
For a bit of historical context, Ferrari says the tdf is a spiritual successor to the brand’s saucy, race-infused grand tourers of yore such as the 250 GT Competizione and so-called Passo Corto models, whose shortened wheelbases lent them more dynamic handling. Ferrari altered virtually every aspect of the F12’s persona -- from greater power, quicker shifts, and reduced weight to sharper handling, increased downforce, and beefier brakes. Though LaFerrariremains the brand’s technological tour de force, the tdf assumes a more analog approach through its holistic reconfiguring of vehicle dynamics, several of which trickled down from Ferrari’s Formula 1 and GT racing programs. Engine output increases from 730 horsepower to 769 hp, and from 509 lb-ft of torque to 520 lb-ft, and weight decreases by 242 pounds. The F12tdf produces the most downforce of any Ferrari (a weighty 507 pounds at 124 mph) and is the quickest sprinter to 62 mph (in 2.9 seconds). It also introduces the first use of rear wheel steering.
F12, Transmogrified
Forget the specs for a moment and climb inside the F12tdf’s cabin: Numbers seem irrelevant when you hit the big red start button and that unmistakably resonant V-12 comes to life. Acceleration is urgent, aided by shortened gears and a redline bumped from a sonorous 8,400 rpm to a resounding 8,900 rpm.
Heavy throttle triggers an instant feeling of liveliness that courses through the carbon-fiber driver’s seat. The thick-rimmed steering wheel also conveys a newfound sense of front-end bite. Like the standard F12, 46 percent of the vehicle’s weight rests on the front axle, but here it sits about 0.4 inch lower. The car wears 275-millimeter front Pirelli Corsa tires, the same as the standard F12. The rears likewise remain 315 millimeters wide. However, the Pirelli Corsas are formulated specifically for this application, and unlike the F12 (which can be had with Pirelli P Zero, Michelin Pilot Super Sport, or Bridgestone runflats upon request), the new model is only available with Corsas.
The first surprise at Fiorano is how impossibly quick the steering feels -- as it should since the already fast F12’s hydraulic steering rack remains untouched. There’s a sharpness and ease of rotation that turns the F12’s GT-like demeanor into a saucier, more tossable tango partner. Though front-end traction is tremendous, any hint of remaining understeer is rapidly resolved as the chassis settles. A quick jab of throttle can yaw the tail out and slingshot you toward the apex (or spin, if all systems are off). But don’t let that pat description oversimplify the chain of events: Precise, delicate, and perfectly timed steering inputs are required to keep the front end pointed the right way, and even more deliberately timed throttle application is needed to cut the proper arc across the track. Fiorano’s smooth curbs have excellent grip, which eases anxiety as the gummy Pirellis slide their way through turns. Hesitate in how you tackle a corner, as I did repeatedly while exiting turn 2, and the beast bucks and lurches, itching its consideration of attacking the corner ahead. Commit or get committed: This Ferrari’s throttle response and chassis are sharp enough to punish both over-eagerness and hesitance and challenge the driver to get on point or give up.

The provocatively named Race mode limits wheelspin enough to prohibit properly competition-worthy driving, encouraging the manettino to get clicked into CT Off mode. Ditching traction control frees the engine to spool more power through the rear electronic differential, which in turn sends the tail sliding happily out; the libertine setting enables the vehicle’s generous 183.3-inch length to properly align for the fastest path around the track. The next and ultimate drive mode is ESC Off, requiring one more twist and a several second hold of the manettino dial before all the nannies are dismissed for playtime.
The naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V-12 is a wondrous and seemingly bottomless source of torque, pulling nearly from idle all the way up to its screaming 8,900 rpm redline with a seamless, progressive wave of power. It’s easy to shift several thousand rpm shy of the rev limiter because the sonic disturbance becomes intense at those upper reaches. But once the red LEDs atop the steering wheel become familiar (and you keep an ear open for the maximum tonal harmonics), well-timed taps of the tall carbon-fiber shift paddles make it easy to strategize gear changes. When triggered, upshifts are up to 30 percent quicker and downshifts 40 percent quicker than experienced with the already swift F12, and each cog swap from the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox produces a not-so-gentle thwack on the back.

Quick Front, Slow Rear … Fast All Around
It takes a quantum mental leap to tackle the F12tdf’s elevated abilities; every driver input, from steering and throttle to gear selection, must be executed with the utmost attention to speed and direction of travel. Interestingly, the most dramatic component is the one that remains untouched: steering. Because Ferrari engineers didn’t want the F12tdf to become a snap oversteer-prone nightmare, they set out to increase front grip while maintaining overall stability -- part of their so-called Passo Corto Virtual (i.e., virtual short-wheelbase) approach. The solution resulted in Ferrari’s first use of rear steering, and unlike other applications that use countersteer, or toe-out, to aid vehicle rotation during low speed handling, this system aims the rear wheels in phase with the front. The rear wheels typically rotate at about 1 degree to help stabilize the car but can turn as much as 2 degrees.
Ferrari sourced ZF’s rear-wheel steering hardware but developed its control-logic algorithms internally, and started development with computer simulations that eventually led to real world testing. To simulate exaggerated grip differentials, certain test conditions dictated racing rubber employed up front and stock tires at the rear. Though a tame tail might seem anathema to a more track-focused creation such as the F12tdf, the lively front end is balanced by oodles of power spilling through the rear e-diff, a punchy point/counterpoint that requires the careful interplay of conscientious steering input and judicious throttle application.
Just as that relationship becomes evident on my first lap, I dive deep into turn 6 -- a slow 180-degree left-hander -- so deep, in fact, that I almost miss the corner. This is a surprise; after all, these carbon-ceramic brakes are plucked directly from the mighty LaFerrari. Lead test driver Raffaele De Simone later explains that the longitudinal grip was not ideal because the tires were not yet up to temperature. Fair enough.

I carry on and start from scratch again, pushing limits as hard as my reptile brain allows without stepping over the edge and making me curse the day I tangoed with the tempestuous F12tdf.
Learning Curves
A second track session inspires greater confidence than expected from the high-strung F12tdf. Perhaps it's the mental recalibration that realigns sense memory with this highly focused machine, or the paradoxical reward of downforce created by the flick ups, gills, and diffusers that draw air from beneath the vehicle and suck it down to earth. But something about the extra laps leaves me weirdly copacetic with its hot-headed persona. The F12tdf connects directly to its driver’s craving for speed and is sympathetic to those basic instincts; it turns, goes, and (given sufficient tire temperature and considerable pedal efforts) stops like mad, playing to the driver’s wild side with plucky repartee, responding with such absurdly dramatic dynamics that it could not be anything remotely other than a beautiful, batshit-insane Italian sports car. Against that archetype, my street drive reveals an entirely different side of its personality.

Road Warrior
The Ferrari F12tdf seems even more focused when it leaves Fiorano’s gates for the real world. Away from the autopian, glassy smooth surfaces of the track, the suspension transmits every joint, kink, and crevice in the pavement, conveying a bas relief map of the road directly through the thin carbon racing buckets. Even in its most forgiving Wet mode setting, the front end feels itchy at low speeds, tramlining a tad under less-than-ideal surface textures.
Bombing through the hilly passes outside of Maranello, the F12tdf comes alive again, tackling tight esses and decreasing-radius turns deftly. The shrieking engine sounds like sweet overkill for public roads, but the car’s eagerness to tangle with the twistiest of tarmac makes it an irresistible companion for these undulating surfaces, regardless of how track focused it may be. Tightly wound but tremendously capable, there’s a far bigger onus on accuracy and restraint on the road, especially since the more aggressive modes will allow this big sled to stray out of its lane under heavy throttle.

The Fortunate Few
Like the 599 GTO derivation of the 599 GTB, the $490,000 F12tdf will be available only to the most hardcore brand loyalists -- in this case, prospective buyers with at least five Ferraris in their garage. Lest you cast doubt upon Ferrari’s brand equity, consider that not only do these special editions sell out reliably every time, they typically resell for a considerable premium in the aftermarket.
As for the F12tdf’s significance in the grander scheme of the supercar microcosm, it’s not unreasonable to consider this model the torch bearer for platonic Ferrari ideals with its massive naturally aspirated V-12, unrelenting suspension, and insistence on total driver involvement. The F12tdf is challenging enough to intimidate and rewarding enough to make you feel like you’ve earned its respect. But above all, it is an example of how focused tuning can inspire you to become a better, more accurate, and deliberate driver.
Thrilling, edgy, and just scary enough to startle the most jaded supercar pilots, the F12tdf flies with a rowdy edge and a streak of adrenaline in its blood. On that measure alone, this Ferrari exudes a sense of occasion not because of its flashy bodywork or high-dollar heritage but for its relentless focus and fierce sense of self.

2016 FERRARI F12TDF SPECIFICATIONS
On Sale: Early 2016
Price: $490,000
Engine: 6.3L DOHC 48-valve V-12/769 hp @ 8,500 rpm, 520 lb-ft @ 6,750 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
Layout: 2-door, 2-passenger, front-engine, RWD coupe
EPA Mileage: 11/16 mpg (city/hwy) (est)
L x W x H: 183.3 x 77.2 x 50.1 in
Wheelbase: 107.1 in
Weight: 3,351 lb (est)
0-60 MPH: 2.8 sec (est)
1/4-Mile: N/A
Top Speed: 211 mph
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/2016-ferrari-f12tdf-review/

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

Gotta love that tire smoke billowing out of those louvers.

 

[HUTSUTAo]

Gotta love that tire smoke billowing out of those louvers.

It goes to show that they are there for an actual purpose

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

I think it's Bianco Fuji, and I quite like it. Reminds me of a Stormtrooper.

EDIT: Looks like Ferrari World took down the official video and placed under their official "Ferrari" Youtube account. Here it is again...

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[Wunderkind]

Looks like a very angry Mazda Rx-8.

 

[Laurent T]

Whatever the color I see this car in, I cannot associate it with Ferrari. I can't tell why or what, but the design doesn't seems right for a Ferrari to my eyes. Maybe without the black parts would be better. If someone with Photoshop skills could remove them, I would be curious to see if it changes my opinion.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

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Yiiiippeeee!

Looks like a very angry Mazda Rx-8.

Whatever the color I see this car in, I cannot associate it with Ferrari. I can't tell why or what, but the design doesn't seems right for a Ferrari to my eyes. Maybe without the black parts would be better. If someone with Photoshop skills could remove them, I would be curious to see if it changes my opinion.

I understand the criticism, and I agree. There are details, notably the CF bits, that make it look like it was commissioned by Mansory and not from the House of Enzo. To me, some of design flourishes specific to the TdF make the front of the car and everything aft of the A-pillar look like two different cars merged together. But what I can't deny is its feralness and that monster of NA V12 lurking underneath that CF hood, which has been kept "pure" without any sort of aid, electric or otherwise. Last time I've been this excited about a Ferrari was when they released the LaFer...or maybe the Speciale?

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

in blue , possibly Blu Electrico


And Mr. Harris continues to tease...

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[hoffmeister_fan]

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Flap Flap Flap Flap!

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

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uuuuuggghhhh, at the risk of sounding utterly ungrateful, I know Chris and Neil recently released that epic video on the Holy Trinity, but it's taking. So. Long for his review of the F12tdf to come out. Here's hoping that the folks at Ferrari allowed him to thrash about in the roads outside Maranello and the sandard 4 laps that most journalists got. I really want to know what he thinks....

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

Rosso Mugello

(Courtesy of Marcel Massini)

 

[Sunny]

Rosso Mugello

(Courtesy of Marcel Massini)

Love that red, classy.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

By @Stefania Piffer

Rosso Fuoco


being delivered to Ferrari Cannes

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[Porsche Guy]

Car is painfully overstyled. I like the regular F12 better and it has more than enough performance for me.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

 

[Monster]

Car is painfully overstyled. I like the regular F12 better and it has more than enough performance for me.

Actually I think the front end is cleaner than the standard F12, instead of have 3 separate sections for the front intake, and brake cooling ducts, the tdF combine all 3 in one area. The rest of the car is very aggressive but they all have a functional purpose.

 

[klier]

Actually I think the front end is cleaner than the standard F12, instead of have 3 separate sections for the front intake, and brake cooling ducts, the tdF combine all 3 in one area. The rest of the car is very aggressive but they all have a functional purpose.

I like the front of the regular F12 better, and everything else on the TDF. TDF's front is not bad though, just a bit too angular.

 

[ThroughandThrough]

Spotted in Monaco.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

First-hand impression from an owner on F-chat:

So first impressions! OMG what a drivers car! When you blip the throttle response is just immediate. Like a race car. Suspension set up is firm but not uncomfortable and it manages poor road surfaces without moving around. Did some lane changes on a part of the A5 where there are ruts. It goes over with out chassis movement. No boating at all. Turn in is awesome. Like a smaller car. If you drive it precise (not UK journo style) the car rewards you with razor sharp handling and pulls out of corners as it it was on a slingshot.

The engine sound is more direct than a f12. And of course louder. Shifting in sport mode is super quick even by Speciale standards. And in race the gears bang in but with without it being too aggressive. Just super quick shifts and the downshifts are the same. Awesome soundtrack! Engine just loves to rev. All in all one hell of a car. Hats off to Ferrari! They have created one unbelievable car. Am still speechless. The F12 is the best GT in the world. But the Tdf is GT turned into a super hard edged sports car. You want to head for a track straight away. Love it!!