FERRARI F12 BERLINETA
The Ferrari F12berlinettais a mid-front-engined coupe that is more expensive and more powerful
than any road-going member of the Prancing Horse's lineup save for the
mighty, limited-edition LaFerrari.
Bucking the industry's downsizing trend, the F12berlinetta uses a
naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V12 engine that churns out 730 horsepower
and 509 lb-ft. of torque. Linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox,
the mill sends the F12 from zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, from zero to
124 mph in 8.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 211 mph
The F12berlinetta returns 12 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway
when driven conservatively. The aforementioned statistics are evidently
far below the industry average but they make the F12 one of the most
fuel-efficient cars in its segment.
Huge carbon ceramic brakes on all four corners keep the extra power in
check, while vanes that open automatically at high speeds help route
cool air to the rotors and the calipers. The electronic driving aids
include a high-performance ABS system, Ferrari's F1-Trac traction
control, ESP Premium and an electronic differential.
The F12's chassis and body are crafted out of 12 different kinds of
alloy in order to reduce weight and increase structural rigidity.
Thanks to careful packaging, 54-percent of the coupe's 3,362-pound
weight lies on the rear axle.
Aerodynamics First
Penned jointly by Ferrari's in-house styling department and Pininfarina,
the F12berlinetta's aggressive design is noticeably inspired by the
four-seater FF.
Its front end is characterized by a long, sculpted hood, sharp
headlamps and Ferrari's signature egg-crate grille. Vents on the hood
reduce drag by routing air away from the top part of the car.
Heavily-sculpted flanks and a functional air diffuser integrated into
the rear bumper further enable the F12 to cheat the wind, while round
tail lamps pushed to the extremities of the rear end emphasize the car's
width.
Driver-Focused Cockpit
The F12berlinetta offers a premium, high-tech cockpit with numerous
aircraft-inspired touches. The two passengers are treated to round air
vents made with carbon fiber and aluminum, exquisite Frau leather on the
seats, the center console and the dashboard as well carbon fiber trim
on the dash.
The driver sits in front of a three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel
that houses every major command including switches for the turn signals,
the headlights and the windshield wipers, a knob used to select a
driving mode and a button that turns the engine on and off. The climate
controls are conveniently located on the dashboard.
The instrument cluster consists of a large tachometer mounted front and
center. It is flanked by a speedometer, a fuel gauge and gauges for the
oil and water temperature.
Interestingly, a small, discreet screen mounted above the glovebox gives
the passenger basic information such as the engine's rpms and the speed
the car is traveling at.
MERCEDES BENZ SLS AMG BLACK
It wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret, Mercedes-Benz’s plan to come up with an
über bad-ass version of the SLS to maintain the momentum and give the competition something to chew on. We spied the prototypes and we received hints from AMG chief Ola Källenius himself. Despite all the foreshadowing, though, the aggressiveness of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series leaves us stunned. The gaping intakes, the spoilers, and the carbon-fiber trim of Affalterbach’s latest pride and joy makes the SLS AMG GT look pretty vanilla—only by comparison, of course.
The
Black Series models are rarer, quicker, much louder, and beastlier than
the standard models on which they’re based. To top the regular-grade
SLS, Källenius's troops laid their hands on almost every facet of the
car. The 6.2-liter V-8 engine now makes 622 hp, a healthy dose of burly
over the standard SLS GT’s 583. This bump in power is achieved through a
derestricted air intake, a revised valvetrain, an increased compression
ratio, and a redline elevated from 7200 rpm to 8000.
Interestingly,
peak torque has dropped from 479 lb-ft to 468. And while the
0-to-60-mph sprint is quicker at 3.5 seconds versus the GT’s 3.8-second
time—we think those are awfully conservative estimates considering the
last standard-spec SLS we tested did the deed in 3.5 seconds when Benz
predicted 3.6—top speed actually drops from a governed 197 mph to 196.
Go figure. It would appear as though the extra power can’t conquer the
aerodynamics.
To keep the engine reliable under extreme loads, the crankshaft and
its bearings are modified, a new oil pump is installed, and the
connecting-rod connections are altered. The structure housing the
higher-power engine is supported by a gas-filled strut brace to keep
unwanted movement to a minimum. For the three people who believed the
regular SLS sounds too wimpy: A much louder titanium exhaust system has
been fitted to the Black—it also happens to be nearly 29 pounds lighter
than the standard car’s exhaust. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
has been mounted a touch lower than in the SLS GT, and it features
quicker shift programs as well. And your grandmother will appreciate the
fact that the throttle blips on downshifts are “more pronounced and
striking than ever.”
Grip is improved by a new, electronically
controlled locking rear differential, and the control-arm suspension has
been significantly altered. The coil-overs can be individually
adjusted, and the SLS AMG Black Series sits on 275/35-19 tires up front
and 325/30-20 tires in the rear. The same carbon-ceramic brakes
available on the SLS GT come standard on the Black.
Visually, the
aforementioned air intakes and carbon-fiber trim make an immediate
impression, and that’s because the SLS Black’s looks are inspired by
those of the SLS AMG GT3 race car.
The front end features aero flics bookending the lower fascia, a front
splitter, and a large heat extractor in the center of the hood that also
increases downforce at the front axle. A fixed rear spoiler with a
Gurney flap resides on the decklid when the car is optioned with the
Aerodynamics package. The body is significantly wider, and four exhaust
finishers replace the dual outlets of the SLS GT. The Solar Beam
exterior finish is unique to the SLS Black Series, but otherwise the car
can be painted the same color as any other gullwing Benz.
Depending on your priorities—speed or comfort—the interior has been
either upgraded or downgraded. The COMAND telematics system is thrown
out, saving 13 pounds from the interior, but it remains available as an
option. But in stripped form, the SLS AMG Black series manages to drop
an impressive 154 pounds when compared to the plain-old SLS GT. The
remainder of the interior is swathed in faux suede, Designo leather,
carbon-trim, and red accent pieces.
The SLS AMG Black Series ought
to have AMG aficionados tripping over themselves to get one of the
limited-production Blacks when the car goes on sale next summer, even
though we expect prices to have a considerable markup from the base
car’s $192,175 sticker.
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