The most powerful road car Ferrari has ever built is here! The F12 Berlinetta takes the place of the 599 GTB and yes, Green Peace will be mortified to hear that the clue is in the name; the Berlinetta has a huge V12 engine. The engine first appeared in the FF, but it’s been modified to increase output by 80bhp, leaving the F12 with a staggering 730bhp!

It’s a lot of power, so now consider that the F12 only weighs 1525kg. The result is 0-62 in 3.1 seconds and 0-124 in 8.5, with a top speed of 211mph! Fast. Faster than an Enzo, faster than any road car Ferrari has made to date.

We’re glad that Ferrari have opted for the V12, it’s a fantastic piece of engineering. There has been a token effort to make the car more environmentally friendly: the F12 uses 30% less fuel than the 599, which is pretty good, right?

From a handling point of view, this car should be sublime. It would seem the F12 engineers have been copying the homework of their F1 classmates: aerodynamic technology called Aero Bridge channels airflow over the bonnet down the side of the car to increase downforce. The F12 also features something called Active Brake Cooling, which apparently opens up the cooling ducts when they get too hot; apparently this reduces drag. (No, we’re not sure how that works either).

Regardless of the gaping void in our aerodynamic knowledge, we can safely say that the F12 Berlinetta should be superb to drive.

The styling speaks for itself. There are synergies with its predecessor but it looks less cumbersome, more refined and altogether rather beautiful. (Could have made the back a little less straight across…maybe?)

It won’t be on the road until the summer, so watch this space to see what it’s really like; that said, you’ll probably hear it coming anyway.