Ferrari has long had a 2+2 in its range, a kind of semi-family Ferrari for those who love the Prancing Horse idea but can't justify the total self-indulgence of just two seats. It's hard to believe that the last such car, the delicious 456, is a decade old, but it is. And now it bows out in favour of the new 612 Scaglietti, named after the Modenese body-building operation which has built many Ferrari bodies over the years.
Scaglietti is nowadays owned by Ferrari, and it builds the 456 on an aluminium semi-spaceframe structure like that of the 360 Modena. This helps keep this hefty car reasonably light - for the 612's key feature is that it has proper rear space for two adults despite a near-200mph top speed and the ability to sear from a standstill to 62mph in just 4.2 seconds. The enormously long bonnet is one reason for a length of over 16 feet, and at 6ft 5in the width is similarly pumped-up.
Powering this Pininfarina-styled behemoth is a development of the 575 Maranello's dry-sump V12, now producing a monster 540bhp at 7250rpm. Naturally Ferrari's F1 paddle-shift transmission is an option - you pay £7000 for the privilege - and it has been ordered by 90 percent of the people who have already ensured all 612 production is earmarked for the next 18 months. It's now dubbed F1A, not in a reference to the international motor sport authority but to emphasise the improved automatic mode. That should please past 456A owners whose cars had a conventional autobox.
The design has a rearward weight distribution to match that of the 360, despite the front engine. That's because the engine is mounted well back and the front wheels are pushed well forward. Big it may be, but the 612 Scaglietti promises to be a mighty driving machine. Read on to see if the reality matches the idea.
As for the name, the six relates (very approximately) to the engine capacity, the 12 to the number of cylinders. Ferrari used to name its cars according to individual cylinder capacities (250, 330 etc) which would make this new one a 480 Scaglietti. Where all this leaves the 575 Maranello, for example, is hard to fathom.
source : www.channel4.com
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