A Lighter and More Powerful Ferrari F12 to Debut Soon

Ferrari F12berlinetta (Credit: © Ferrari)

Ferrari runs a pretty regimented product plan that includes updates around the midway point of a car’s production run. The F12berlinetta is just about to reach that halfway point, so it is not a surprise to hear rumors regarding a hotter and lighter version of the Ferrari coupe.

All reports are indicating that this new F12 will be 200 kg (441 pounds) lighter than the current model and feature an aggressive body kit. While the method behind dropping nearly 450 pounds from the F12 remains unknown, chances are that we’ll see a more barebones cabin and carbon-fiber body panels. Also on the table are thinner, composite windows and lightweight wheels.

Powering this special F12 will be the same 6.3-liter V-12 engine as the standard model, but Autocar claims that Ferrari will tweak it to around 760 horsepower. This 29-horsepower gain combined with the weight loss is sure to give this new F12 a better power-to-weight ratio than the Aventador Superveloce.

The added power will likely drop the F12’s 0-to-62 time to less than three seconds, but its top speed may actually end up lower than the base F12berlinetta’s 211 mph mark, due to the drag created by the aggressive body kit.

Two areas where the reports cannot come to an agreement are when it will debut and what Ferrari will name this model. One report claims that Ferrari will dub this car the Speciale (possibly F12speciale to remain consistent with the F12berlinetta format) and it’ll debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show at the earliest. Other reports indicate its debut will take place at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show and it’ll carry either the F12 GTO or F12 GTB name.

To me, the name means precisely jack squat, just build an epic rig to send the F12 off in style and I will be happy.