Pretty sure some details will start leaking after Dec 1. Very exciting to see the direction Ferrari is going to take. If they will use LaFerrari's V12 with 800hp in the F12M.... Fingers crossed! (and rear wheel steering too please!)
We'll have a bunch of limited edition cars before Ferrari downsize their V12 and pair it with a battery pack. I would put my money on : - ~1000 hardcore limited edition, a la 599GTO / F12 TDF - ~ 100 Aperta - a few very small batches of unique design for specific markets (F60 - FJ50?) After that, the NA v12 will be history.
CONFIRMED - dealers will be shown car and specs at Daytona Florida Annual Dealers meeting in two weeks. Your dealer will be able to describe car but no photos obviously. Private showings February 2017 at Factory. Public Geneva.
Whilst I believe the styling will be very aggressive, my concern is whether the driving experience will follow or will it it share the wonderful schitzoid personality, part GT, part hyper sports car of the F12 or will they err too much on the sports side and thus compete head on, unnecessarily so in my mind, with Lamborghini etc.
I remember one poster on another site saying that it'll be closer to the aventador than the current "soft" F12. So YMMV
Not sure what you mean by "Ferrari's swansong". Ferrari ain't going anywhere. As for the hybrid cars. They are still N/A cars and they sound like N/A cars. One of the great things the HY-KERS system does, is provide you with a huge kick in the rear off the line. I fail to see the major problem. All in all, as long as Ferrari stays Hybrid and not turbo, the N/A V12 will live on. When I see how the Hybrid systems make the current breed of supercars perform, I for one welcome and embrace the Hybrid systems. I haven't been behind the wheel of an LaF or P1, but I have had a go in a 918. That hybrid system with that V8 pulls like a friggin' freight train with a rocket on top and at no point does it feel like anything but a normal N/A car with tons of power. I say bring it on because the torque on tap is insane!
Squaring the circle, if we assume the M will be called Daytona, that was a GT car and so I would hope if they borrow the name, whilst the aesthetics may be wild, it should logically still have that GT element about it, otherwise where do they go with a VS version and what would separate the Daytona from the tdf? It would be great if as opposed to continuing to borrow from their illustrious history if they could create some new history as pretty soon they will run out of names. Unfortunately with the mess the F1 team is currently in, that appears unlikely.
With swansong I meant the last unassisted V12. And you're also right with going the hybrid route. I welcome that too. If done properly like on the 918 it will enhance the driving experience and give you the benefit of having a no emission mode whilst driving through town. On top of that the taxs benefits in Europe will border on the insane!
The Aventador and F12 are apples vs pears. It is a completely different car and not really a drivers car. Look at average milage done on an Aventador vs F12. World of difference. The Aventador is all about the looks, drama and flames coming out of the exhaust. I could use a few harsch words, but we all get the picture here.... The F12 is a drivers car first and foremost. Forms follows function in the F12. The Aventador the the true opposite. Which in reality is probably why there is a market for them both.
I agree which is exactly why, to me, it does not make any sense with either aesthetics or driving feel to encroach on their territory. Hopefully.
My guess is she won't be a beauty like perhaps the berlinetta but it won't look anything like an Aventador either. Mr. Flaps 'n Gills will make an appearance for sure though. It will still be an F12 underneath so it should drive just fine. Lap times will be held above the tdf until the later VS version is released and before the replacement. Should have tdf brakes (about time) and steering (detuned to not be unstable) but not the low gearing or the solid lifters. I think it will have a two stage intake but softer cams, ECU tune, and suspension spring rates. Will have rear active aero. The interior is a toss-up - some say big screen Lusso. New launch color and new seats a given. The question for some I'm sure is - did I sell my F12 too soon? The answer would be no because if you sold your F12 then its a guarantee you'll sell the Daytona - about a year before the VS and Aperta rumors come out!
There wil indeed be a few gills and flaps, no doubt about that. But again Ferrari knows it's demographic. They know few of their customers care about Nurburgring lap times as does Lamborghini. Ferrari's V12 models were always more GT cars. Tehy will not change that set up. Once you see an F12 sitting next to Aventador in the flesh, you see the differences. I would go as far as saying the Aventador is more a kids poster car than the F12. The F12 is aimed towards adults (there, I said it!)
I understand the logic about lap times but the F12b is faster around Fiorano than the 599 GTO... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiorano_Circuit
If the mule is any indication, it will be more aerobridges and aerotunnels rather than flaps and gills.
I think that's right. Whilst one may or may not be happy with the direction of the company, from a product perspective they are at the top of their game and simply seem incapable of not producing exceptional cars. I find it hard to believe the 'Daytona' will disappoint in any way.
