The F12 Berlinetta: A Momentous Occasion for Ferrari

Hello and welcome back to Fifth Gear! Today, we're going to embark on an unforgettable journey with the latest supercar from Ferrari - the F12 Berlinetta. This three-inch device is the key to unlocking the fastest Ferrari ever made, and we're about to find out what makes it tick.

The F12 Berlinetta is a replacement for Ferrari's top-of-the-range supercar, the 599. What sets this new model apart is its smaller and lighter design, which may seem counterintuitive given its powerful engine. However, under the hood lies an astonishing 730 horsepower engine that's about as powerful as a Formula One car. This beast of an engine can rev up to 8,700 rpm and boasts an impressive 500 pound-foot of torque.

The F12 Berlinetta is actually an upgraded version of Ferrari's legendary Enzo engine, which was first introduced in 2002. Thanks to direct injection and what Ferrari calls "increased fluid dynamics efficiency," this new engine is more efficient and refined than its predecessor. Despite its massive size, the engine is surprisingly quiet at low speeds, almost like a contented cat waiting for you to put your foot down.

As soon as you do accelerate, however, the F12 Berlinetta transforms into a force of nature. It's so fast that it laps Ferrari's own test truck at Fiorano Circuit in just three seconds, and even outdoes its predecessor, the 599 GTO, by a whole second. To achieve this level of speed, you need to be extremely focused on the road ahead, scanning everything from miles away to keep up with the pace.

The F12 Berlinetta's impressive performance is matched only by its impressive efficiency. Despite having 119 brake horsepower more than the 599, it uses 30 less fuel. This may seem like a minor improvement at first glance, but trust us when we say that it's just one of the many clever details that Ferrari has worked into this supercar.

The chassis of the F12 Berlinetta is built from 12 different types of lightweight alloy, making it incredibly strong and yet still relatively light. Its brake cooling ducts only open when the brakes are hot, which helps to cut drag even further. And with a downforce advantage of 76 over its predecessor, this supercar can handle speeds of over 200 miles per hour without any issues.

The F12 Berlinetta's steering is sharper than ever before, thanks to just two turns locked in place, which means you need minimal input from your hands to get maximum turn around the bends. This is especially important when navigating hairpins like this one - it barely goes in a straight line! Even with traction control fully off, however, the F12 Berlinetta remains remarkably civilized and refined.

Speaking of refinement, the interior of the F12 Berlinetta is nothing short of stunning. The leather is sumptuously soft and inviting, while the aerodynamically-derived air vents add a touch of sophistication to the overall design. And one of the cleverest touches of all is the ability to place your iPhone on the dashboard without it being disturbed by even the slightest jolt or vibration.

However, as exciting as the F12 Berlinetta is, it's not without its flaws. One thing that might strike you as a bit cheap is the plastic and cheap buckles used in some areas of the interior - not exactly the kind of attention to detail that Ferrari is known for.

In comparison to its closest competitor, the Lamborghini Aventador, the F12 Berlinetta comes out on top in terms of excitement and performance. However, the Aventador has a more practical 4-wheel drive system, making it better suited to everyday driving duties than the F12 Berlinetta's rear-wheel drive layout.

Despite this, the F12 Berlinetta is undoubtedly an absolute animal - a supercar that will push even the most seasoned drivers to their limits. And for those who are up for the challenge, the rewards are well worth it - a truly unforgettable driving experience like no other.

The only concern we have with the F12 Berlinetta is that unless you're a professional driver, you won't be able to tame its full fury. This supercar is a real handful, even for those who are used to handling high-performance vehicles. But for anyone willing to put in the effort and take it out for a spin, the rewards will be well worth the excitement and adrenaline rush that comes with driving this incredible machine.

Overall, the F12 Berlinetta is an extraordinary supercar that sets the bar incredibly high for Ferrari's competitors. With its stunning performance, impressive efficiency, and refined interior design, it's an absolute must-see for anyone who loves cars - or just loves the thrill of driving a really fast one!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello and welcome back to fifth gear this three inch device is the key to the fastest ferrari ever made so strap yourselves in because you me and the f12 berlinetta are going for a ride this is a momentous occasion ferrari has replaced its top-of-the-range supercar the awesome 599 with this it's smaller and lighter than its predecessor and more powerful than any ferrari road car in history the price just shy of a quarter of a million pounds there's an awful lot to take in so let's start with the engine mounted up front is something that's about as powerful as a formula one car 730 bhp it'll rev to 8 700 rpm and it's got more than 500 pound foot of torque it is absolutely mind-boggling it's actually an upgraded version of the engine first used in the legendary enzo in 2002 thanks to direct injection and what ferrari call increased fluid dynamics efficiency this barking mad v12 is more efficient and refined than before despite all that power and the massive size of the engine it's poodling along very happily here at 1500 rpm in fifth gear really quietly it's a bit of a cat until you put your foot down oh you want me to speak i can't speak i'm having too much fun holy smoke batman we've got some power here it is so fast that it lapped ferrari's own test truck at fiorano a whole three seconds faster than its predecessor and it was even one second quicker than the 599 gto which is basically a racing car you arrive at corners before you even know that they're there you have to scan everything in front of you at such a high speed my brain is working really hard to keep this pace up i will be mentally exhausted at the end of the day this car should only really be driven like this by racing drivers or complete and utter lunatics i just feel like i've done a round with the klitschko brothers both of them the f-12 is actually much greener than the car it replaces despite having 119 brake horsepower more than the 599 it uses 30 less fuel but fear not petrol heads this isn't a car with economy on its mind that extra mpg is just a happy payback for all the hard work the design team has put into making this as aerodynamic and as light as possible its chassis is made of 12 different types of lightweight alloy its brake cooling ducts only open when the brakes are hot to cut drag and despite slipping through the air twice as efficiently as the 599 it's got 76 more downforce if you're a formula one fan you'll know that downforce plays a crucial part in keeping a very fast car stuck to the road well most sports cars today aren't really fast enough to need much of it but with this car it smashes through the 200 mile an hour barrier so downforce is really important the steering is sharper than it was in the 599 so you've got just two turns locked to lock which means minimum input from my hands to get maximum turn around the bends and with so much flipping grunt you need some quick steering golly she's coming out of this hairpin press the throttle and it barely goes in a straight line oh admittedly i have got traction control fully off though even though this car can be fantastically unhinged inside it is a model of luxury this leather is adorable i really like these aeronautically derived air vents and i love the fact that you can put your iphone down here and no matter how sideways you get it stays there but what i don't like are these plastic and cheap buckles not good not ferrari the lamborghini aventador is the f-12's closest competitor it costs 10 000 pounds more has 30 brake horsepower less and with its 4-wheel drive system is much more of a tourer than a sports car the ferrari is much more exciting but it's not perfect you need to be on the limit with the traction control system turned off to feel its spine tingling brilliance because otherwise you're just sat in a pretty special but pretty normal gt car oh that was a good slide f-12 berlinetta has got a fantastic engine a great cabin and it is an absolute animal the only worry i have though is that unless you are a professional driver you aren't going to come close to taming it youhello and welcome back to fifth gear this three inch device is the key to the fastest ferrari ever made so strap yourselves in because you me and the f12 berlinetta are going for a ride this is a momentous occasion ferrari has replaced its top-of-the-range supercar the awesome 599 with this it's smaller and lighter than its predecessor and more powerful than any ferrari road car in history the price just shy of a quarter of a million pounds there's an awful lot to take in so let's start with the engine mounted up front is something that's about as powerful as a formula one car 730 bhp it'll rev to 8 700 rpm and it's got more than 500 pound foot of torque it is absolutely mind-boggling it's actually an upgraded version of the engine first used in the legendary enzo in 2002 thanks to direct injection and what ferrari call increased fluid dynamics efficiency this barking mad v12 is more efficient and refined than before despite all that power and the massive size of the engine it's poodling along very happily here at 1500 rpm in fifth gear really quietly it's a bit of a cat until you put your foot down oh you want me to speak i can't speak i'm having too much fun holy smoke batman we've got some power here it is so fast that it lapped ferrari's own test truck at fiorano a whole three seconds faster than its predecessor and it was even one second quicker than the 599 gto which is basically a racing car you arrive at corners before you even know that they're there you have to scan everything in front of you at such a high speed my brain is working really hard to keep this pace up i will be mentally exhausted at the end of the day this car should only really be driven like this by racing drivers or complete and utter lunatics i just feel like i've done a round with the klitschko brothers both of them the f-12 is actually much greener than the car it replaces despite having 119 brake horsepower more than the 599 it uses 30 less fuel but fear not petrol heads this isn't a car with economy on its mind that extra mpg is just a happy payback for all the hard work the design team has put into making this as aerodynamic and as light as possible its chassis is made of 12 different types of lightweight alloy its brake cooling ducts only open when the brakes are hot to cut drag and despite slipping through the air twice as efficiently as the 599 it's got 76 more downforce if you're a formula one fan you'll know that downforce plays a crucial part in keeping a very fast car stuck to the road well most sports cars today aren't really fast enough to need much of it but with this car it smashes through the 200 mile an hour barrier so downforce is really important the steering is sharper than it was in the 599 so you've got just two turns locked to lock which means minimum input from my hands to get maximum turn around the bends and with so much flipping grunt you need some quick steering golly she's coming out of this hairpin press the throttle and it barely goes in a straight line oh admittedly i have got traction control fully off though even though this car can be fantastically unhinged inside it is a model of luxury this leather is adorable i really like these aeronautically derived air vents and i love the fact that you can put your iphone down here and no matter how sideways you get it stays there but what i don't like are these plastic and cheap buckles not good not ferrari the lamborghini aventador is the f-12's closest competitor it costs 10 000 pounds more has 30 brake horsepower less and with its 4-wheel drive system is much more of a tourer than a sports car the ferrari is much more exciting but it's not perfect you need to be on the limit with the traction control system turned off to feel its spine tingling brilliance because otherwise you're just sat in a pretty special but pretty normal gt car oh that was a good slide f-12 berlinetta has got a fantastic engine a great cabin and it is an absolute animal the only worry i have though is that unless you are a professional driver you aren't going to come close to taming it you\n"