Chris Harris, "It is unquestionably the best car they make at the moment!"

This is so true.

Too often we mistake noise for sound.

The former is just a measure of quantity, the latter is a measure of quality.

I want my cars to sound good, not just make loud noises. For that, I can just drive a tractor around or a cheap Dodge Plymouth with a broken muffler.

 

Huh?

 

Well put and fair. If I were to spec one, I will do color of Nero Purosangue and tan interior for a spider. I need to hear the sound. Like I said before, driving exotic cars without proper exciting noises is like watching porn muted. Will it get the job done? Yes, but trust me with the sound on it will be 100x better.

 

Exciting review. I’m not surprised that the 12C is a triumphant achievement albeit with an exhaust note constrained. However, I am surprised by how small the rear window is. I was not expecting that.

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At least there's a rear window

Isn't the first rule of Italian driving: what's behind me isn't important?

In all fairness, it does look like a pretty big blind spot over the driver's shoulder. I have one local road where the hedges are so tall, with cars like this, I can't tell if another car is coming. So I start looking out the passenger window long before I get to the turn, which is a left turn, and then instead of getting into the right lane immediately, for a second I am in the oncoming lane while I triple check the side mirror. Thats my workaround. The best is when the hedges have been cut. This is 0ne place the F12b has it over everything else, it had a good rear side window.

 

Its amazing what a different color can do. The launch cars looked terrible to me, this car looks fantastic!

 

I definately would yes!

 

Except for the wheels of course. Much better look on the spider.

 

It’s clear Ferrari must of slipped some “kool aide “ into his vino at lunch prior to the video. In all seriousness, I respect and enjoy his reviews. It’s nice to see the 12C is a more complete car, a true high performance GT according to Harris. Its looks aside, it is appears to be more comfortable long distance performance car.
Is it a better performance car than the one it replaces? Not sure without performance stats which are not available (suspiciously not available)
Is it more exciting to drive than the car it replaces? Depend on what excites you- if it’s sound- unlikely. If it’s refinement-possibly. If it track days- arguably neither but the 12C is heavier- and no track times to compare.
In essence- Harris finds the 12C to be a sublime GT-a road supercar, dare I say it? The perfect daily driver for the sport’s car enthusiast. And no it’s not exciting in a hypercar way- its reflexes have been smoothed over- you have to work the car to bring out the Feral Ferrari. Shame.

 

Seriously, Brits have impeccable manners. Harris being such, what's he going to do, be treated to a fine lunch at Cavallino, be treated to a drive with Benuzzi, and then go badmouth the car?! Methinks not.

 

Dario Benuzzi retired many years ago.Raffaele de Simone is the Ferrari chief test driver and has been for many years.He is the man in the video.A charming man and in no small part responsible for the cars we enjoy driving so much

 

Oops yes, sorry.

 

While the 812 SF certainly has a larger rear window overall, the lower half of the window is pretty simililarly sized to 12 Cilindri, and that's what really matters from the visibility point of view.

 

Dario - young and old

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Those of us old enough remember about a decade ago when CH called out Ferrari for manipulation of road tests and subsequently was ostracized by F for a long time. I'm sure he missed out on a lot of 'views' during that period. Guess everyone has kissed and made up. Here is the quote.

https://teamspeed.com/forums/458-430-360/54888-chris-harris-s-rant-how-ferrari-spins.html

 

Also how many brand new V12 Ferraris has Harris driven recently? Its magic. Thats what he said of the engine and gearbox in the Purosangue. He was more critical there because thats car has an even more daily mission and some of the user interface elements are more difficult than here. Of course, going to Italy, having special meals with special people, its exciting. It's great to hear from Raffaele de Simone as well.

If the car itself was truly a disappointment, I think Harris would have reflected that. He could have never released a video. But how could it be that? It's a V12 Ferrari. That nearly guarantees its greatness. The sad part for me is the reality that since about 2020 they had to move the V12 off the performance throne, because they see other technology as being more optimal for ultimate performance. But that's just my opinion.

Maybe the 12Cilindri is a better all arounder than the 812, especially in Superfast form, which was really dominated by its need to be the range performance flagship. That the GTS has overall found a better reception among most means dialing back the intensity of the SF just a little was the right idea. If you look beneath the surface you can see Ferrari really did push to move the game on in terms of the refinement. So I think if you are looking for your V12 to be more of a focused sports car, then the 12 Cilindri might be a disappointment, but if you are looking for a car to use more often, for more people, more of the time, I think they will be happy. And maybe, a little bit older and, perhaps, wiser, Harris is also reflecting this.

(incidentally, my favorite part of his videos from the past several years is in his 812 GTS review and he looks square into the camera and he says "I can do ... THIS!" And he turns off all the controls and all of a sudden is sliding around on a track.)

Ferrari, keep making the V12 please, and Chris Harris, please keep making the videos!

 

The engine is a masterpiece. My wish is that it was packaged in something prettier, lighter, with less plastic bits, and without haptics. (And unharnessed/uninhibited by govt-regulated garbage)

 

Get the SP3.

 

The SP3 looks and rear mid 12 demanded it should have been called the Testarossa and the 12C the Daytona.
What were the Italians thinking(or drinking)?

 

It is hard to see Ferrari putting the car into production with a “buggy and laggy system”. If they have a problem they will fix it for customer cars. The touch buttons are a problem for every Ferrari. Doesn’t make the 296, the Purosangue or the SF90 XX bad cars. On the contrary all their reviews were strong. Finally most of the things you mention have little to do with the driving experience. When it comes to that I struggle to name one journalist that I trust more than Chris.

I don’t know if your dealer has a demo car yet; if so, go drive it. My dealer does and I can tell you anyone who’s been behind the wheel said the car is a big step forward from the 812. Plus the car looks terrific live (and I was not a fan of the looks)

 

Just saw the auto trader review of the spider- it is the one to get.
Looks miles better than the coupe and the sound is better in this video

 

Appeal to age 50+: quasi-Daytona looks, magnificent engine, "softened" GT-like dynamics.

NOT appeal to age 50+: haptics, ugly wheel choices, GPF sound loss. (1st two of these Ferrari could rectify)

Bit of an enigma isn't it.

 

Harry’s Garage liked it except for the claustrophobic interior(similar issue to the 812GTS- above 6’ tall consider racing seats to add an inch or two of leg room.)
Refined is how this car is defined. As has been said the haptics aren’t for older spastics like me. This car is meant for gentlemen racers(an oxymoron?) but has lost a lot of the rawness that attracted many of us to the brand years ago and allowed us to forgive the minor issues those cars had(sticky buttons , lousy sound system etc). The 12C showcases Ferrari in flux- and for the ludicrous price Ferrari is asking I expected more.

 

I respect Chris Harris's opinion quite a bit, so I am going to take this video at face value, which is to say he was very impressed. Until we all drive the car that's all we can go on. The sound of the car in the cabin was much better than what I was led to believe in other conversations, and the handling and speed and ferocity of the engine was much better than what I expected. The fact that he commented on the 12 being a big improvement over the 812 was a surprise to me based on what some other testers had said of the car, overall I was happy to hear his comments and glad that I am getting one!

 

Needs to be Rosso Dino...