Earlier today Ferrari got it’s Initial Public Offering, freeing the company from FCA’s hold and ushering a new era for the supercar-producing company that will hopefully not involve SUVs. Thankfully, they’re off to a good start. This is the F12tdf – a limited production special edition of the F12 Berlinetta. The ‘tdf’ in the name stands for ‘Tour de France’, not the endurance cycling event but the endurance road race. Back in the 50s and 60s, the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta was one of the most successful cars to enter the competition, so it’s all pretty fitting.
The F12tdf improves on the original in many ways. First of all, the 6.3-litre naturally-aspirate V12 now pushes out 780hp instead of 740hp. Add to that the fact that the car is now 110 kilogrammes lighter thanks to more extensive use of carbon fibre and redesigned components and you’ve got serious power-to-weight figures. Unsurprisingly, but still astonishingly, the car gets from 0 to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds and from a standstill to 200 in just under 8. The engine is now mated to the F1 DCT with 6 percent shorter gear ratios leading to 30 percent faster upshifts and downshifts that take 40 percent less time.
Ferrari also changed is the ratio of the front tyres compared to those at the rear. They’ve also added ‘Virtual Short Wheelbase’ – a form of rear-wheel steering which leads to improved vehicle dynamics. It also has the same Extreme Design brake calipers that the LaFerrari sports. Improved aerodynamics has also lead to 107kg more of downforce. Only 799 examples of the car will produced.
