Ferrari is looking to launch its first electric vehicle in 2025. Rather, they’ll be in the form of a 9,500-rpm shriek of a V-12, the ultimate evolution of the engine layout that made the brand famous. Available in coupe and Spider (convertible) forms, the 2025 12Cilindri is likely the last regular-production front-engine V-12 Ferrari.
The 12Cilindri’s predecessor, the 812 GTS, was thought to be the last such car. The final front-engine V-12 Ferrari shares its powertrain with the previous front-engine V-12 Ferrari. Compared to the monstrous horsepower figure, the 12Cilindri’s 500 pounds-feet of torque may seem tame, but 400 of that is available from 2,500 rpm. Ferrari expects the car to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds.
The 6.5-liter holds together at its stratospheric redline thanks to extensive lightweighting work that includes titanium connecting rods, pistons formed from a lighter aluminum alloy than previous iterations of the engine and a rebalanced crankshaft.
Where its predecessor’s rear-mounted dual-clutch automatic transmission held seven gear ratios, the 12Cilindri’s has eight. Ferrari claims it shifts 30% faster than the 812’s. Despite the engine sitting in front of the driver, its positioning entirely behind the front axle and the transmission mounted at the rear help the 12Cilindri carry just 48% of its weight on the front wheels.
Those wheels are 21s wrapped in 275/35ZR21 front and 315/35ZR21 rear rubber. Ferrari is offering two tire choices: Michelin Pilot Sport S5s and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersports. Tucked inside are brakes measuring 15.7 inches up front and 14.2 inches out back.
As carmakers tend to do, Ferrari gets awfully hyperbolic when it comes to the 12Cilindri’s styling.
Those design languages also appear to be directly related to the Ferrari world, as the clean exterior styling and swollen haunches immediately recall the smaller V-8–powered Roma, and the shape of the rear window and bodywork are clearly inspired by the hybrid SF90. The horizontal black panel extending across the nose is an obvious homage to the 365 GTB/4 Daytona of the late 1960s and early ’70s.
The 12Cilindri is gorgeous in both coupe and Spider forms. The coupe’s blacked-out A-pillars and glass roof lend it a futuristic, goggled look, and the aggressive forward lean of the bodywork is especially dramatic when viewing the car in profile. And look closely at the car’s nose; notice that there are no cutlines. The forward-hinged hood is one massive clamshell extending from wheel to wheel and headlights to windshield. The Spider is said to be just 132 pounds heavier than the coupe, and the top can motor open or closed in just 14 seconds at speeds up to 28 mph.
Inside, drivers face Ferrari’s usual button-packed steering wheel, although many of those controls are now capacitive-touch buttons, including the start button. Beyond the steering wheel is a 15.6-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch touchscreen is tucked into the middle of the dash, and the passenger gets their own 8.8-inch screen for co-piloting.
