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Ferrari unwraps radical new F12 TdF

The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta has never been in need of a performance boost, but Maranello has given it one just the same. Feast your eyes on the new F12 TdF. The latest Prancing Horse recalls the legendary Tour de France (for automobiles, not bicycles) that Ferrari dominated nine years running from 1956 through 1964 – and the elegant long-wheelbase 250 GT named in its honor. But the F12 TdF is much more about forward momentum than looking back. Power is up, weight is down, and everything's been tightened up, with new systems on board to keep it all together. For starters, the screaming 6.3-liter V12 from the existing F12 Berlinetta has been upgraded from 730 horsepower to 769. Torque has been increased from 509 pound-feet to 520. Although the engine will wail all the way up to 8,900 rpm, 80 percent of that torque is available as low as just 2,500 revs. Of course, Ferrari being Ferrari, it didn't just tinker with the engine and call it a day. It also returned the seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions to deliver upshifts 30 percent faster, downshifts 40 percent faster, and with ratios six percent shorter. The track is wider, the wheels larger, and the one-piece brakes are lifted out of the even more extreme LaFerrari. Ferrari has also fitted the TdF with a new Virtual Short Wheelbase system – Modenese for four-wheel steering – that sharpens turn-in, increases high-speed stability, and keeps the tail from spinning around to fast on the wider front tires. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As you can see, the bodywork has been substantially redone as well, to be both lighter and more aerodynamically efficient. As a result, the TdF produces 87 percent more downforce than the stock Berlinetta. And thanks to its more extensive use of carbon fiber – not to mention the stripped-out cabin – the whole thing weighs a good 240 pounds less. The result of all these enhancements, Ferrari says, is a 0-62 time of just 2.9 seconds. Keep the throttle pegged (as you would most certainly be tempted to do) and it'll reach 124 miles per hour after 7.9 seconds, topping out at over 211 mph. It's also been clocked around the company's private, on-site Fiorano test track in 1 minute and 21 seconds, which is a good two seconds faster than the Berlinetta or the 488 GTB – and barely more than a second adrift of LaFerrari, the fastest road car ever to lap the circuit.

Ferrari Lusso ownership will add some time to your morning commute

If you've ever driven a vintage vehicle on a regular basis, you know the process from getting from point A to point B is a bit more convoluted than simply hopping in and going. There are rituals to observe, checklists to run through and processes to address before ever touching the ignition. Neglect any one of a number of small tasks and you're likely to find yourself on the side of the road. James Chen, the owner of Axis Wheels, knows all about that. You see, he owns a gorgeous Ferrari Lusso, and coaxing the V12 under the hood to life requires a certain amount of procedure.
Once it's rolling, of course, all that premeditation seems entirely worth the effort. Chen does his best to keep the machine out of traffic, but refuses to keep the coupe sealed away in a museum, so he gets up early and takes to the canyon roads around LA before anyone else is awake. Atta boy.
Check out the latest video from Petrolicious below.

Two weeks and 2,000 miles in Ferrari's FF with Evo

EVO's Harry Metcalfe had some questions about the day-to-day livability of the Ferrari FF. When he brought those questions up to Ferrari, they suggested he take one for a couple of weeks and try it out for, as he calls them, "mundane duties." The image above is Metcalfe pointing to the 660-horsepower, all-wheel drive FF parked in one of his fields because, since he lives on a farm, mucking about the green is part of his daily routine. "It could use more ground clearance," he says, "but that's an option on this car."
He does get it on the "tarmac" and he likes it even more there than in the mud. Except for the buttons on the steering wheel; he thinks learning to use them is like learning to play guitar. He has a lot more to say besides that, and you can watch him expound for all of 17 minutes in the video below.