A limited edition F12 coupe is Maranello’s tribute to its machines that triumphed at the famous Tour de France motor race.
The Tour de France was an endurance road race run between 1899 and 1986. It was dominated by Ferrari in the fifties and sixties. In the 1950s especially, the Ferrari 250 series of sports cars was virtually unchallenged in the GT category – winning four consecutive Tour de France titles (from 1956 to 1959). For racing aficionados, Ferrari had become synonymous with the Tour de France.
Today, that parallel is back in the form of a new car – the F12 TDF, with TDF being a reference to the ‘Tour de France.’ Based on the already formidable F12, the new car has been significantly revised in terms of chassis, engine and aerodynamics – with innovative solutions such as a rear-wheel steering, which Ferrari says increases turn-in response and high-speed stability, while reducing oversteer, all in that everlasting quest for maximum performance.
At Ferrari’s Fiorano test-track, when you’re faced with a tight curve, the immediate instinct is to approach the limit progressively. But the physics of the F12 TDF’s rear-wheel steering system suggests an infinite amount of grip. The F12 TDF is a car that requires you to adapt to its responses, rather than the other way around.
You simply need to trust the car, and build your speed without fear. Halfway into a corner, the V12 that generates 769bhp is the protagonist – the soundtrack makes it seem even more powerful. Even in Race mode though, it all seems quite manageable thanks to the impressive electronics. The driver merely has to think about his or her steering input – because ever degree of steering input is transmitted down to the road. As you wind down the steering at the exit of a corner, your focus switches back to the V12 – which redlines at 8,900rpm. To add to the ferocity of the engine response, the gear ratios have been shortened – so the shove in the back when exiting a corner is akin to being hit by a freight train.
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