The 12Cilindri is a beautiful swan song for Ferrari’s purest V12s

Not everyone can say “I drove a Ferrari” even just once in their lifetime. Heck, even riding in one probably feels like a pipe dream to most people. I’ve no idea what I did to be so lucky, but I can say I did. Sometime in 2024, I had a short but incredibly sweet dance with the Roma Spider when Velocita Motors launched the grand tourer in the Philippines.

After that, I figured that if I were to leave this line of work at any point in time, I’d already be satisfied. I may not have done it all yet, but at least I drove a damn Ferrari.

That’s why when Top Gear Philippines was recently offered the chance to get behind the wheel of another, best believe I passed up on it. I wanted to give my teammates a shot. I already had some seat time. Unfortunately for them, nobody else was available, so lo and behold, I eventually got another Ferrari assignment.

This time, though, it was a different kind of special for me. See, of the new Ferraris launched in this decade, it was the Roma that I truly fell in love with. It still is, to me, the most beautiful car I’ve seen to date. But there’s another one that I really wanted to get up close and personal with apart from the Roma: it’s the 12Cilindri. Or the Dodici Cilindri, as the folks in Maranello would like us to call it. Not only because I think it’s a darn good-looking car, but because it might just be the last of its kind.

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I had already seen the 12Cilindri in the metal during the launch, but it was only during our short drive at Anvaya Cove that I had all the time in the world (or at least for a few hours with it) to take all of it in. That’s also where I realized just how much I absolutely adored this new Prancing Horse.

There’s just something about it. It’s not as classy as the Roma, nor is it as wild as the F80—no scissor doors and all that jazz—but it has a certain appeal to it and it draws me in. Perhaps it’s because it’s way less intimidating than a full-on hypercar, yet at the same time it looks more aggressive than a proper GT. It’s classified as a super tourer, and it does look the part.

I believe Ferrari has done an excellent job with that front fascia. The large black panel on the hood with the thin LED strips adds contrast to the exterior, and it emphasizes just how sharp the 12Cilindri’s nose is. The overall look also matches well with the gorgeous 21-inch wheels.

PHOTO BY Ruth Veluz

The rear is a bit more reserved, though, and it’s a reminder that this is still meant for touring, not just for hot laps around the track. That swooping black trim on the C-pillar matches the look of the front clip, and it sprinkles some elegance onto an otherwise menacing-looking machine.

The 12Cilindri’s design is balanced, like the 812 Superfast and F12berlinetta that came before it. But unlike those two, this looks very much different from its predecessors. The aesthetic shift from the F12 to the 812 was apparent—the jump to the 12Cilindri is glaring. It marks the transition into a new era for the V12-powered grand tourer…sort of.

What doesn’t signal change for the 12Cilindri is the inside. It’s all too familiar, and that’s coming from someone whose only had a go at one Ferrari before this. Not that it’s a bad thing, because whether by Ferrari or by supercar standards, this cabin is by no means lackluster. It’s adorned by a perfect blend of leather and alcantara bits, and everything within arm’s reach of the driver’s seat is exquisite to the touch. The steering wheel, all the buttons and the levers, and even the center console and the dash themselves. It’s Ferrari levels of premium.

Three screens make up the entertainment side of things—one in front of the driver, one in the middle, and one in front of the passenger seat. There wasn’t anything strikingly new that I was told of. The displays were all still as confusing as before to non-owners like me, so I didn’t bother fiddling with them. Instead, I focused on the cabin.

PHOTO BY Ruth Veluz

Now, I said I liked the Roma’s design, but the 12Cilindri just has a better interior. The Roma is a 2+2 GT, but the ‘rear seats’ feel like they’re there for formality and not actual use. Not even a baby would fit in the back, so the rear headrests feel out of place. The 12Cilindri, on the other hand, stays true to its nature of being a two-seater. Instead of placing a sorry excuse for a second row, Ferrari has opened up space for some sort of storage.

Similar to my outing with the Roma Spider, the shoot location limited me to just 40kph with the 12Cilindri. A disgrace, but it was still something else to be sitting behind the wheel. It still brings a smile to my face every time I remember the sight of the wheel arches just past the Ferrari steering wheel in front of me.

Besides, I was still able to get the slightest taste of the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 under the hood, as there were some open stretches where I could mash the pedal a bit just to feel a fraction of those 820 horses. But, needless to say, the Manettino was left untouched on this drive.

I left it to my imagination to wonder how the car gets from a standstill to 100kph in just a hair under three seconds and all the way to 200kph in under eight. Or how it can reach speeds of up to 340kph. Or even how a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Ferrari as powerful as this would attack corners. If by some miracle, I get the chance to drive or ride this on a racetrack, maybe then I’ll see the car in its full glory.

I still did get to hear the beautiful roar of the V12 a lot, though, which was blissful in and of itself. Actually, it doesn’t roar—it screams. All the way to 9,500rpm. I’ve seen V12 hypercars and supercars on the road before, but it feels different when you’re the one behind the wheel and it’s your foot on the pedal.The startup sound is sublime, and even more so when you rev it further. I made sure to redline it (on neutral, though) so we could get it on camera, and also because it was the only way we could ‘have fun’ with the V12. Every time I saw the needle moving up the gauge and the music of the 12Cilindri’s engine playing through my ears, it felt surreal.

Funnily enough, at some point during the shoot, I hopped into the 12Cilindri with my right foot straight onto a pedal before I could even get my butt in the seat. I mistakenly stepped on the gas instead of the brake, and it led to one of the most obscene rev bombs I’ve ever done in my life. Hear me out: The Roma is nice and all, but its V8 engine pales in comparison to a proper V12 like this.

If I’m being honest, all the other Ferrari engines feel… tame and timid compared to this. It’s a high-revving, naturally aspirated V12 that works without any form of electric assistance. It’s pure and absolutely beautiful. Tragically, it’s also a dying breed.

Look at Lamborghini. The Revuelto is Sant’Agata Bolognese’s latest V12-powered hypercar, and even that gets three electric motors in its system. Sooner rather than later, Ferrari’s next V12s—if there’s even a new one on the horizon for the Italian carmaker—will only be available as hybrids. That’s why the Dodici Cilindri might just be the last of its kind and why this drive felt bittersweet.

My first stint with a pure, naturally aspirated, non-hybrid V12 was incredibly short, and it could well have been my last. But I’m grateful, because what a dreamlike experience it was to have been able to drive the Dodici Cilindri. If this is Ferrari’s swan song to its purest and wildest engines, then what a fitting farewell this is.