Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider review: Heady blend of traditional and futuristic becomes even more intoxicating after lid is removed
An al fresco concerto
If you’ve read anything about the Ferrari 12Cilindri, either in hardtop or convertible form, you’ll already know why it’s worth sitting up and paying attention. While others scramble to downsize, turbocharge or electrify their powertrains, Maranello has delivered the ultimate iteration of its trademark engine: a V12 with no hybridisation, no turbocharging, just 819bhp of high-revving fury.
Cutting off the roof, to create the 12Cilindri Spider you see here, has the potential to make the experience even more visceral, exposing the driver and passenger to an open-air soundtrack to make the Royal Philharmonic weep.
But before I get to the reality of that aural symphony, it’s worth pointing out what Ferrari has done with the design. Even in a world of active aero trickery and computational fluid dynamics, the 12Cilindri Spider is, like its 12-pot powerplant, a traditionalist. The long bonnet still dominates the silhouette, and the front end remains 70s-esque, with its visor-like nose being a clear nod to the Daytona.
But it was to the future that Ferrari’s designers looked for inspiration with the 12Cilindri, including classic science fiction imagery, and it’s at the rear end where much of this is in evidence: the deltawing shape of the rear window on the coupé, for example, and the twin active-aero flaps that lift at speeds above 60kph (37mph) for increased downforce over the back wheels.
These winglets remain on the 12Cilindri Spider, so much of the focus in creating the droptop verison was on how best to channel the airflow down onto them with the roof in hairdryer mode – the answer was to create aerodynamic “fins”, positioned on the top of the rollover humps, which neatly reveal themselves when opening the roof.
These split the airflow to both the aero flaps and the central area behind the cabin, reducing the amount of air circulating back into the passenger compartment, and therefore the buffeting and aerodynamic drag. Clever stuff.
The active aero elements are deliberately subtle, though, keeping the lines clean while maintaining the necessary downforce. Or so we’re told; our drives outside Lisbon, Portugal were limited by low speed limits and unending traffic, so it wasn’t possible to get anywhere close to stretching this stallion’s legs. But let’s face it, droptop Ferraris are more about showboating than whitening of knuckles, and with the roof down the 12Cilindri transforms from eager grand tourer to rolling piece of automotive theatre.
The 12Cilindri Spider is heavier than its coupé sibling, of course, because chassis strengthening has had to be added to compensate for lopping off the roof. But thanks to the reinforced aluminium structure there’s only a 60kg weight gain, and the numbers are still absurd: 0-62mph takes 3.0 seconds flat and you can (we’re told) hit 124mph in just 8.3 seconds, before hitting a top speed of over 200mph, even with the roof down — if you dare.
But it’s the way the 12Cilindri delivers its power that makes it special. Turbocharging and electrification is so clever these days, but you’ll never get that linear, natural-feeling build up of acceleration as the revs rise that comes from an unassisted petrol motor. The unmolested V12 offers what Enzo Ferrari called “instant speed”.
The throttle response is razor-sharp, for sure, and the V12 sings all the way to a spine-tingling 9,500rpm, though when pootling around back roads it’s difficult to elicit its full sonic potential. There were only a couple of moments during the test drive when I managed to get close to the red line and raise my pulse much beyond the baseline level of, “You’re driving a Ferrari – don’t crash.”
The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is an evolution of the Roma and SF90’s unit, and it will come as nothing of a surprise when I tell you it’s ultra-quick, smooth and natural, whether in auto mode or you’re shifting cogs via the large, easy-to-find paddles. It’s also 5kg lighter and 30 per cent quicker than the 812’s seven-speed ‘box, contributing to the car’s improved agility.
Agility is something the 12Cilindri Spider has, of course. It’s a big-engined grand tourer with a long wheelbase (the gap between the front and rear wheels), so it doesn’t possess the deftness and light-footed feel of a smaller, mid-engined sports car, but with its keenly-tuned steering feel, 6D damping sensor, torque vectoring and clever rear-wheel steering (each wheel can be angled individually, in fact), turn-ins are sharp and precise, and the 12Cilindri clings to corners like Velcro most of the time.
If you get the chance to throw this car around properly, though, Ferrari’s Side Slip Control 8.0 should ensure it has a playful side, too. But most of the time, it’s an easy car to cruise around towns, blast from city to city or throw along interesting back roads. If anything it’s unexpectedly unintimidating, given its performance stats, and for that reason slightly less exciting than one might perhaps hope for — on our test route, at least.
And some might want an even brasher soundtrack, rather than the refined symphony created using an exhaust system that has to comply with the latest emissions regulations. But that’s exactly why removing the roof adds to the experience, and it’s still a pleasure to spend time behind the wheel, a car that shrinks around you on a good road, feeling far more compact than its dimensions suggest.
You feel shrink-wrapped inside, too. Not caged, like in Italian supercars of old, but cosseted and at one with the cockpit, and being able to lift the lid of course removes any sense of claustrophobia. You sit low down, looking down the long bonnet, in moulded sports seats that hold your body just enough while still being comfortable for long journeys.
As with its fixed roof sibling, the 12Cilindri Spider is a two-seater, though unlike with the coupé there is no rear parcel bench, as that space is used to stow the roof. There’s still some storage in the boot for overnight luggage… though Ferrari didn’t provide us with any imagery of that, for some reason.
The Italian firm is sticking steadfastly with its control-laden steering wheels, including the Manettino switch, which allows you to choose between drive modes simply and easily, but as always the push button indicators are in the wrong place – stalks behind the wheel are simply better – and the wheel can be bewildering. The buttons are also touch-sensitive, though you do have to tap to wake them up before they can be used, which seems to eliminate accidental use while cornering.
But in addition to the those controls is an array of screens, including one of 15.6in behind the wheel and another 8.8in unit in front of the passenger, as part of what Ferrari calls its “dual cockpit” design. There’s also a central 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, which marks out the 12Cilindri from the Purosangue and makes the whole system a lot easier to use.
Climate control, the sound system and nose lift are all easily to hand, and it’ll run both Android Auto and Apple Carplay (this shouldn’t even need to be mentioned these days). For passengers, the most entertaining option is to look at the performance info … and potentially remind the driver about speed limits.
The Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider is more than just a convertible version of the coupé — it’s an experience. Brutally quick, beautifully balanced (47.8 front to 52.2 rear, by the way) and sonically intoxicating.
The base car is £366,500 on the road in the UK, which is actually less than we were told when the car was revealed, but no-one will get one off the shelf so prices realistically will be nearer the £400,000 mark after options are applied.
This is, of course, a machine reserved for the ultra-wealthy. But if you have that money to spend and feel passionately about unassisted V12s (and why wouldn’t you?), then it’s a wonderful reminder of why we love these engines, in an era when they’re disappearing altogether.
With the 12Cilindri, Ferrari’s V12 magic is clearly still alive and well — and with the roof down, the experience becomes even more special.
Related articles
- If you enjoyed this review of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, you might also want to take a look at its chief rival, the forthcoming Aston Martin Vanquish convertible
- Here’s what we said about the hardtop version of the 2024 Aston Martin Vanquish
- Check out how we got on with the Ferrari Roma Spider … on Irish roads in winter
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