Ferrari appeals to traditional base with two new V12 cars
8:02 pm Thursday, May 02nd, 2024
MILAN (Reuters) – Luxury sports car maker Ferrari has unveiled two new models, the 12Cilindri and the 12Cilindri Spider, appealing to lovers of its most powerful roaring petrol engines.
The two cars, showcased at an event in Miami on Thursday evening, mark Ferrari’s first launches of this year, after five in 2023, as it presses ahead with a rapid roll-out of new models to keep the attention of its wealthy customers.
As part of a wider electrification drive in the industry, the firm known for its ‘Prancing Horse’ logo has been adding hybrid-electric cars to its range since 2019 and has promised its first fully-electric vehicle (EV) at the end of 2025.
However, Ferrari has also pledged to continue selling traditional internal combustion engine cars (ICE), also helped by a European Union decision to exempt vehicles that run on e-fuels from its planned phase-out of ICE vehicles.
The new 12Cilindri two-seater and its convertible version, the 12Cilindri Spider, are inspired by Ferrari’s historic grand-tourer (GT) models of the 1950s and 1960s, the company said.
They’re fitted with the brand’s signature 12-cylinder petrol engine, the same kind powering the four-door, four-seater Purosangue.
The mid-front mounted V12 engine will yield 830 horse power, giving the two models a top speed of over 340 kilometres per hour (210 miles per hour).
The 12Cilindri and the 12Cilindri Spider are priced in Italy at 395,000 euros ($422,000) and 435,000 euros respectively, at the medium-high end of Ferrari’s price range.
First deliveries are expected in Europe in the final quarter of this year for the 12Cilindri and in the first quarter of 2025 for the 12Cilindri Spider.
Ferrari has plans for a total of 15 new models between 2023 and 2026, including its first EV.
($1 = 0.9351 euros)
(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; Editing by Mark Potter)
