There were some, including a few members of the Classic Driver team, that worried Ferrari had lost its design mojo following their split with longtime collaborators Pininfarina. The 812 Superfast traded the elegance of the Pininfarina-designed F12 that preceded it for Lamborghini levels of aggression, while the 488 GTB was derivative at best compared to the puristic beauty of the 458 Italia. However, our worries were finally put to rest on May 3rd, 2024, at Miami Beach, when Ferrari celebrated their 70th anniversary in the American market with the unveiling of the 12Cilindri.
Designed by Ferrari’s Centro Stile with Flavio Manzoni at the helm, as the name suggests, the 12Cilindri — pronounced “Doh-dee-chee Chil-in-dree” — is a celebration of Ferrari’s plethora of legendary 12 cylinder berlinettas, dating right back to the 1947 Ferrari 125 S. Of course, the 12Cilindri takes a great deal of inspiration from one model in particular: the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, and more specifically, the rare ‘Plexiglass’ variant with its iconic front visor connecting the headlights. Surprisingly, it was this design flourish — which the 12Cilindri shares with the F80 — that became the most divisive element of what was otherwise heralded as the best looking Ferrari in years, and Flavio Manzoni’s unwillingness to allow customers to spec the visor in body colour only added to the discussion.
Regardless of where you stand on the visor discourse, this 2025 Ferrari 12Cilindri available with HK-Engineering solves the problem with its Nero over red specification, while also allowing you to beat the waiting list and become one of the first to be seen in the latest and greatest front-engined V12 Prancing Horse. With 815 horsepower ready to be deployed from its naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12, this 12Cilindri will do the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 2.9 seconds and hit 211 mph flat-out, proving it’s far more than just a looker.
However, when you’re not planting your right foot into the carpet, you’ll be able to appreciate the 12Cilindri’s more relaxed, grand touring-oriented demeanour compared to its hyper-aggressive predecessor. While Ferrari might not be ready to kill off the V12 just yet, we wouldn’t wait to add this incredible grand tourer to your garage, because we suspect the next Ferrari V12 berlinetta will be hybrid and therefore quite a bit heavier. And while it seems Ferrari has rediscovered their sense of style, we doubt they’ll be able to top the jaw-dropping 12Cilindri any time soon.
