Ferrari has taken inspiration from its grand tourers of the 1950s and ’60s with its latest vehicle.

The automaker introduced the Ferrari 12Cilindri, available as a two-seater berlinetta, and the 12 Cilindri Spider, an open-top version of the latest sports car from Maranello, Italy.

What does it mean to be inspired by Ferrari cars from the ’50s and 60’s? It’s all in the motor.

In a time when even traditionally audacious sports car makers are turning to smaller engines with turbochargers and electrification, the 12Cilindri features a mid-front-mounted naturally aspirated V12 engine.

The 6.5 L powerplant revs up to 9,500 rpm and has 830 CV of power (818 hp) and 678 Nm (500 lb.-ft.) of torque. The engine revs high, but drivers won’t have trouble unleashing the car’s power early on, as Ferrari says 80 per cent of the engine’s total torque is available at 2,500 rpm.

Powertrain

The engine, called the F140HD, is the newest version of Ferrari’s naturally aspirated V12.

The engine features modified components and software, some of which were available in the 812 Competizione. To get the engine to rev so high, engineers worked to reduce weight and inertia of the engine’s components by using titanium con rods, which reduce rotating mass by 40 per cent over steel. There’s also a rebalanced crankshaft, reducing weight by three per cent, and a different aluminum alloy was used for the pistons, to make them lighter as well.

Ferrari says most of the modifications focused on optimizing torque delivery in all operating conditions.

“The result is an engine with exhilaratingly smooth, seamless response, that delivers peak power at the red line,” Ferrari said in a news release.

Engineers also worked to ensure the car produces the V12 howl that is typical to Ferrari V12s.

The 12Cilindri features an eight-speed dual clutch transmission.

Berlinetta

The Ferrari 12Cilindri builds on past mid-front-mounted V12 Ferrari cars. The company points out the car’s clean lines, ultra-clean flanks that sweep back along the entire car, wings that have been sculpted with extreme geometric precision and more. A sculpted hood is sleek and incorporates the front wings.

“Removing the cut lines from the wings gives a smooth, uninterrupted surface to the muscularity of the design, lending the entire bonnet a sense of ultra-clean fluidity, interrupted only by two vents to cool the engine bay,” Ferrari says of describing the front of the car.

The interior design is inspired by the automaker’s dual-cockpit architecture, with an almost-symmetrical structure comprising two modules for the driver and passenger.

There’s a new human machine interface (HMI) comprising three displays. All of the main functions can be controlled by a central 10.25-inch central touchscreen, plus there’s a 15.6-inch driver display, and an 8.8-inch co-driver display for the passenger.

A Burmester sound system with 15 loudspeakers with 1,600-watt output is optional.

Performance numbers, as provided by Ferrari, are:

• Maximum speed – 340 km/h
• Zero to 100 km/h – 2.9 seconds
• Zero to 200 km/h – 7.9 seconds
• 100 km/h to zero – 31.4 metres
• 200 km/h to zero – 122 metres

Pricing and availability date have not been provided.

Spider

With the spider, Ferrari says Flavio Manzoni and the Ferrari Styling Centre design team set out to radically transform the stylistic codes of past mid-front-engine V12 Ferrari cars.

“This car differs from the Ferrari 12Cilindri in the boldly expressive character created by the two buttresses at the rear, behind which an element with a black-screen effect is set,” Ferrari said in a news release. “The crease lines evident on the buttresses clearly echo the motif of the flank, accentuating the expressiveness of the design of these elements. Set into the flank is a ‘quarterlight’ in back-painted polycarbonate.”

The interior gets the same attention to detail as the berlinetta; however, the spider doesn’t have a rear bench as the rear area of the cabin is used to stow the retractable hard top. Ferrari points out despite this, the cabin still has plenty of space and is comfortable on long journeys.

You’ll find the same comfort features as in the berlinetta.

Performance numbers, as provided by Ferrari, are:

• Maximum speed – 340 km/h
• Zero to 100 km/h – 2.95 seconds
• Zero to 200 km/h – 8.2 seconds
• 100 km/h to zero – 31.4 metres
• 200 km/h to zero – 122 metres

Pricing and availability date have not been provided.