Upgrade the new Ferrari its latest red-blooded creation, Ferrari first ruined a perfectly good car. In transforming the sure-footed F12berlinetta grand tourer into the fast-and-loose, apex-hounding F12tdf, Ferrari engineers deconstructed the stability that’s inherent in the F12’s long wheelbase, its substantial weight, and its high polar moment of inertia relative to mid-engined cars. The front tires grew in width from 255 millimeters to 285 millimeters, an aggressive alignment boosted turn-in and lateral grip, and—with no change to the rear tire width—a fickle, oversteering monster was born. One Ferrari chassis engineer described the team’s work bluntly: “First, we screwed up the car.”
With the chassis suitably squirrelly, engineers applied the brand’s first use of rear-wheel steering to dial in just enough stability to make the car manageable and predictable. Ferrari calls the resulting package Passo Corto Virtuale, or virtual short wheelbase, and it shrinks the F12tdf’s 107.1-inch wheelbase and 3600-pound curb weight to Miata-like sensations. Okay, maybe the F12tdf doesn’t drive quite that small and nimble, but it more than compensates with the uncanny precision that $490,000 buys. The F12tdf worms its way into your psyche with delicate, light steering that is direct, immediate, and unforgiving. Spin the steering wheel too fast or too far and the rear responds just the same, rotating too fast or too far. Get it right, though, and the car darts where you look with the rear tires faithfully following the front end in a tight, tidy arc. It’s ironic that the steering feels like the most special of the F12tdf’s specialties, because while Ferrari massaged the F12’s engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and aerodynamics for the F12tdf program, the hydraulically assisted steering system is the one component left unchanged.
The electric motors that steer the rear wheels at up to two degrees in either direction come from ZF, but Ferrari engineers performed all of the software calibration to ensure the system works in harmony with the electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the magnetorheological shocks, the traction control, and the stability control. As you click the steering-wheel-mounted manettino drive-mode selector from Sport mode to Race to CT Off (traction control off), the car’s agility swells. Neutral is the wrong word, though, because neutral implies a car that can be provoked to understeer as readily as it oversteers. The F12tdf’s front tires only plow when you do something truly stupid.
Modern rear-wheel-steering systems, including those in the big-dog Porsche 911s, typically countersteer relative to the front wheels at low speeds to improve agility and steer in the same direction for greater stability at elevated velocities. Ferrari claims its adaptation doesn’t need to countersteer the rear wheels; the natural behavior of the car is sufficiently agile. Instead, the Italians need only the enhanced stability to keep the tail from overtaking the front of the car in corners.
Ferrari's virtual short wheelbase creates a kick-ass car in the real world.
To build its latest red-blooded creation, Ferrari first ruined a perfectly good car. In transforming the sure-footed F12berlinetta grand tourer into the fast-and-loose, apex-hounding F12tdf, Ferrari engineers deconstructed the stability that’s inherent in the F12’s long wheelbase, its substantial weight, and its high polar moment of inertia relative to mid-engined cars. The front tires grew in width from 255 millimeters to 285 millimeters, an aggressive alignment boosted turn-in and lateral grip, and—with no change to the rear tire width—a fickle, oversteering monster was born. One Ferrari chassis engineer described the team’s work bluntly: “First, we screwed up the car.”
With the skeleton suitably squirrelly, designers connected the brand's first utilization of back wheel directing to dial in simply enough soundness to make the auto reasonable and unsurprising. Ferrari calls the subsequent bundle Passo Corto Virtuale, or virtual short wheelbase, and it recoils the F12tdf's 107.1-inch wheelbase and 3600-pound check weight to Miata-like sensations. Alright, perhaps the F12tdf doesn't drive entirely that little and agile, yet it more than remunerates with the uncanny accuracy that $490,000 purchases.
Virtual Short Wheelbase, Real-World Awesome
The F12tdf worms its way into your mind with fragile, light guiding that is immediate, prompt, and unforgiving. Turn the directing wheel too quick or too far and the back reacts in any case, pivoting too quick or too far. Take care of business, however, and the auto darts where you look with the back tires steadfastly taking after the front end in a tight, clean curve. It's unexpected that the controlling feels like the most exceptional of the F12tdf's fortes, in light of the fact that while Ferrari rubbed the F12's motor, transmission, suspension, brakes, and optimal design for the F12tdf program, the hydraulically assisted steering system is the one component left unchanged.
The electric motors that steer the rear wheels at up to two degrees in either direction come from ZF, but Ferrari engineers performed all of the software calibration to ensure the system works in harmony with the electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the magnetorheological shocks, the traction control, and the stability control. As you click the steering-wheel-mounted manettino drive-mode selector from Sport mode to Race to CT Off (traction control off), the car’s agility swells. Neutral is the wrong word, though, because neutral implies a car that can be provoked to understeer as readily as it oversteers. The F12tdf’s front tires only plow when you do something truly stupid.
Modern rear-wheel-steering systems, including those in the big-dog Porsche 911s, typically countersteer relative to the front wheels at low speeds to improve agility and steer in the same direction for greater stability at elevated velocities. Ferrari claims its adaptation doesn’t need to countersteer the rear wheels; the natural behavior of the car is sufficiently agile. Instead, the Italians need only the enhanced stability to keep the tail from overtaking the front of the car in corners.
Ferrari’s previous track special, the aptly named 458 Speciale, can turn any driver into a hero with its beautiful balance and unflappable cool. That mid-engined car’s reactions will flatter you into believing your every move is a flawless execution of vehicle-dynamics theory. The F12tdf is far less forgiving. It demands more focus, more skill, and more respect. In return, it delivers honest fun that is both uncommon and uncanny in a car with this much power and this much grip. Think of it as a testament to just how alive and intoxicating the chassis is that it’s taken some 550 words to get around to the 6.3-liter V-12, because the drama of unleashing all 769 horsepower is man’s greatest tribute to the internal-combustion engine. At full throttle, it bellows like a thousand angelic trumpets ushering you into car-guy heaven as the revs wind up like a crotch rocket’s.
The F12tdf musters an additional 39 horsepower and 11 lb-ft of torque over the standard F12 with the help of a new air-filter box, revised intake plumbing, and a larger throttle body. Solid lifters replace hydraulic tappets. The resulting weight reduction allows Ferrari to add more valve lift to the intake-cam profile and to raise the rev limiter from 8700 rpm to 8900 rpm. Variable-length intake runners use telescoping trumpets within the intake plenum to shrink or stretch the runner length for optimized airflow. In the F12tdf, Ferrari uses just two distinct positions—short and long—but future cars may take advantage of the fact that the position of the trumpets is continuously variable between the boundary conditions.
Shorter gear ratios throughout the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle are augmented with quicker shift times. We project a 2.8-second blast to 60 mph on the way to a 10.8-second assault on the quarter-mile. The always-on nature of the big-displacement, naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine demands a delicate right foot on corner exit, but the pedal obliges with long, linear travel. When it’s time to reverse thrust, a brake pedal with just as much fidelity activates a carbon-ceramic braking system borrowed from the LaFerrari hypercar.
Ferrari's virtual short wheelbase creates a kick-ass car in the real world.
To build its latest red-blooded creation, Ferrari first ruined a perfectly good car. In transforming the sure-footed F12berlinetta grand tourer into the fast-and-loose, apex-hounding F12tdf, Ferrari engineers deconstructed the stability that’s inherent in the F12’s long wheelbase, its substantial weight, and its high polar moment of inertia relative to mid-engined cars. The front tires grew in width from 255 millimeters to 285 millimeters, an aggressive alignment boosted turn-in and lateral grip, and—with no change to the rear tire width—a fickle, oversteering monster was born. One Ferrari chassis engineer described the team’s work bluntly: “First, we screwed up the car.”
With the chassis suitably squirrelly, engineers applied the brand’s first use of rear-wheel steering to dial in just enough stability to make the car manageable and predictable. Ferrari calls the resulting package Passo Corto Virtuale, or virtual short wheelbase, and it shrinks the F12tdf’s 107.1-inch wheelbase and 3600-pound curb weight to Miata-like sensations. Okay, maybe the F12tdf doesn’t drive quite that small and nimble, but it more than compensates with the uncanny precision that $490,000 buys.
Virtual Short Wheelbase, Real-World Awesome
The F12tdf worms its way into your psyche with delicate, light steering that is direct, immediate, and unforgiving. Spin the steering wheel too fast or too far and the rear responds just the same, rotating too fast or too far. Get it right, though, and the car darts where you look with the rear tires faithfully following the front end in a tight, tidy arc. It’s ironic that the steering feels like the most special of the F12tdf’s specialties, because while Ferrari massaged the F12’s engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and aerodynamics for the F12tdf program, the hydraulically assisted steering system is the one component left unchanged.
The electric motors that steer the rear wheels at up to two degrees in either direction come from ZF, but Ferrari engineers performed all of the software calibration to ensure the system works in harmony with the electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the magnetorheological shocks, the traction control, and the stability control. As you click the steering-wheel-mounted manettino drive-mode selector from Sport mode to Race to CT Off (traction control off), the car’s agility swells. Neutral is the wrong word, though, because neutral implies a car that can be provoked to understeer as readily as it oversteers. The F12tdf’s front tires only plow when you do something truly stupid.
Modern rear-wheel-steering systems, including those in the big-dog Porsche 911s, typically countersteer relative to the front wheels at low speeds to improve agility and steer in the same direction for greater stability at elevated velocities. Ferrari claims its adaptation doesn’t need to countersteer the rear wheels; the natural behavior of the car is sufficiently agile. Instead, the Italians need only the enhanced stability to keep the tail from overtaking the front of the car in corners.
Ferrari’s previous track special, the aptly named 458 Speciale, can turn any driver into a hero with its beautiful balance and unflappable cool. That mid-engined car’s reactions will flatter you into believing your every move is a flawless execution of vehicle-dynamics theory. The F12tdf is far less forgiving. It demands more focus, more skill, and more respect. In return, it delivers honest fun that is both uncommon and uncanny in a car with this much power and this much grip.Oh, Did We Mention the 769-hp V-12?
Think of it as a testament to just how alive and intoxicating the chassis is that it’s taken some 550 words to get around to the 6.3-liter V-12, because the drama of unleashing all 769 horsepower is man’s greatest tribute to the internal-combustion engine. At full throttle, it bellows like a thousand angelic trumpets ushering you into car-guy heaven as the revs wind up like a crotch rocket’s.
The F12tdf musters an additional 39 horsepower and 11 lb-ft of torque over the standard F12 with the help of a new air-filter box, revised intake plumbing, and a larger throttle body. Solid lifters replace hydraulic tappets. The resulting weight reduction allows Ferrari to add more valve lift to the intake-cam profile and to raise the rev limiter from 8700 rpm to 8900 rpm. Variable-length intake runners use telescoping trumpets within the intake plenum to shrink or stretch the runner length for optimized airflow. In the F12tdf, Ferrari uses just two distinct positions—short and long—but future cars may take advantage of the fact that the position of the trumpets is continuously variable between the boundary conditions.
Shorter gear ratios throughout the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle are augmented with quicker shift times. We project a 2.8-second blast to 60 mph on the way to a 10.8-second assault on the quarter-mile. The always-on nature of the big-displacement, naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine demands a delicate right foot on corner exit, but the pedal obliges with long, linear travel. When it’s time to reverse thrust, a brake pedal with just as much fidelity activates a carbon-ceramic braking system borrowed from the LaFerrari hypercar.
Ferrari plans the F12tdf to be an auto that proprietors will drive to the track, at the track, and back home from the track. Yet, in preparing the F12 for standard track benefit, the suspension has lost some suppleness. Indeed, even with the dampers set to their more consistent mode, the F12tdf skims over mounds in the street like a skipped rock. In city driving, the F1 double grip transmission isn't as smooth as Porsche's or McLaren's gearboxes, especially in off-throttle downshifts. By and large, however, the F12tdf remains an enlightened street auto. While lighter microsuede replaces cowhide and covers have been evacuated through and through, Ferrari still fits a radio, route, and aerating and cooling.
Ferrari stripped an aggregate of 243 pounds from the F12. A piece of that weight originates from decreasing the measure of glass on the auto by decreasing the back window and contracting the back quarter windows until the straightforward area is no bigger than an iPhone. Carbon fiber is currently utilized for the entryway skins all around, in addition to the front and back sashes. Keeping in mind whatever is left of the body boards are still aluminum, the rooftop and the A-columns are the main pieces that continue from the F12. The flock of plunge planes, spats, and spoilers build downforce to more than 500 pounds at 124 mph. While they're included for utilitarian purposes, the cooling and streamlined changes additionally make something outwardly striking. The noble louvered bumpers swelling around the back tires are both a respect to excellent Ferraris and an animalistic proposal of what the auto is prepared to do. Ferrari may have made one stride in reverse to begin take a shot at the F12tdf, however its completed item is miles in front of the F12 in driving excitement.
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