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.
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.
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).
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.
