New 740-horsepower Ferrari V12 Wins EVO Engine of the Year

The UK-based EVO magazine just tabbed Ferrari’s new F12Berlinetta V12 as its “Engine of the Year,” so this is just as good a time as any for EngineLabs to review the specs on the latest prancing-horse powerplant.

The successor to the 599 GTB, the new Berlinetta is said to be the fastest production, street-legal Ferrari ever at over 211 mph, yet it boasts a combined fuel economy estimate of 15.7 mpg with a reported 18 mpg highway. More important numbers to engine enthusiasts are 740 horsepower at 8,250 rpm and 509 lb-ft torque — with 80 percent of that grunt available at 2,500 rpm.

According to a Ferrari news release, the EVO editors were impressed with the V12 “any-gear-any-revs urge,” especially when a series of technology solutions on the engine also reduced CO2 emissions by 30 percent. The release quoted EVO editor Harry Metcalfe: “When details of the new Ferrari F12 engine specifications first reached EVO headquarters, we were frankly astonished at the quoted power output. 740 bhp from 6.3 liters sets a new benchmark for a normally aspirated V12 road engine and, despite its prodigious power, our road testers reported it was perfectly tractable in regular driving.”

The Ferrari engine is based on a 65-degree block with a total displacement of 6262cc. The 48-valve, DOHC platform also features direct injection under 200 bar (2,900 psi) fuel-line pressure, 13.5:1 compression ratio and multi-spark ignition that sends three successive sparks per power stroke, each with a different intensity and duration. Other Formula 1 technologies include dry sump oiling and a bottom-end design that allows the engine to sit much lower and further back than the 559’s engine placement. Even the red-crinkle-finished intake resonators are CFD designed to provide a “dynamic supercharge” to the cylinders. Other advanced features include equal-length headers, super finished cam lobes, DLC-coated tappets and pistons with low-friction skirt coatings. The engine has a redline of 8,700 rpm, but the revs drop to O at the stoplight. Yes, the new Ferrari engine has a stop-start function to save gas.