Thoughts After Test Drive

Drove 12C today. My thoughts:

F12 is GT w/certain supercar characteristics.
812 is supercar disguised as GT.
12C is super-GT.

More refined than F12/812. Very planted. Shifts and revs great. Purposefully hit red line a few times just to see how it pulls thru range - strong and smooth. Good ergonomics. Race seats very comfortable.

Controls/gauges truly awful. Hate the HELE. Very quiet - some may like this, most won't. Does not feel more powerful than 812.

Didn't get a chance to drive thru curves.

Btw, the bumpy road button is now in mannetino, you press it. Wish I'd known that prior to test drive.

Has a weird little hesitation when you first press throttle from complete stop. Reminder that it's throttle by wire. Varies based on how quick/hard you press throttle, but it's noticeable and annoying.

I won't talk about design as I've already shared my thoughts on that previously.

So many "money grab" options on this demo car, ridiculous.

For grins spec'd one out, came to $550k. Plus tariffs, more than my Tdf sold for new.

 

I just changed my spec from $700k to $550k. Would get killed on depreciation.

 

Did you find the driving experience significantly stepped up from the 812/F12 as some claim? Seems fairly divisive. Some say too subdued while others say its a significant improvement.

 

If one defines stepped up as more refined, then yes. But along with that refinement comes a loss of certain visceral qualities that many find desirable about driving a Ferrari.

 

That was my assumption and the answer I was looking for. TY

 

The brakes were excellent. Although worth nothing, after reeling it in from 100-130 mph a few times, there was squeaking under light braking (normal compared to my other Ferraris) and some humming under moderate braking (not normal compared to my other Ferraris).

 

Sounds about right

 

so are you going to pull the trigger? Would you trade and 812 or F12?

 

Excellent level-headed decision! Dream lines , full carbon and fancy paint will soon be forgotten. Esp when selling the car later.

 

Also noted, Alcantara in 12C has less texture than what was used previously. Feels less like ultra-suede, more like textured cloth. Don't know if there's a functional/aesthetic reason, or simply cost-reduction. Suspect the latter.

 

Someone had gotten those brakes hot. That humming sound at moderate braking is typical when that happens.

Great write up on your thoughts after driving the 12C.

 

Appreciate the review !
I wonder if more and more buyers will go for low /moderate specs given the pricing and tariff impact - and if so, would that ever have enough weight to get noticed by the people in charge.

 

What is considered "low spec"? ... No external carbon? No passenger screen? No glass roof? or just not selecting 3 layer paint and painted shields? (which is what i did).

 

I’m also very torn. I have my deposit in for a Spider but the costs are unreal. Plus starting January 1 2026 our state is adding another 8% luxury tax on top of 11% sales tax on every car over $100,000. 20% tax plus all the new tariffs puts a great spec 12c Spider easily into the mid 800 or nearly double the 812 which is already spectacular. Plus as a 2018 it’s a pre GPF car so it sounds amazing and the exterior looks a bit better to me. I found the drive and interior of the 12 c to be a modest upgrade. Shifts were much smoother and felt a bit more planted at speed in turns.

 

Wow ... that's a lot of taxes man. I remember that until a couple of years ago some people would register their cars in other states to "optimize" on taxes ... not sure if that's still a thing though ...

 

What causes the humming?

 

That "hesitation" has ZERO to do with DBW (which almost every car has been for 20 years), it is the way they tuned the throttle curve. There are plenty of DBW with aggressive throttle tip in.
DBW gives you more freedom with drivability, not less.
All these cars are fuel injected, none of them have an adjustable Accelerator Pump Circuit like a Weber that sprays fuel in relation to the driver depressing the throttle, but they can be tuned to be very aggressive nonetheless.