Muscle Car of the Week: Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Photo Credit: autotribute.com

The other night I was flipping through channels, bored by everything I found. Frozen guys on boats catching crabs, people doing stupid human tricks on a show with "Talent" in the title, something about tattoos, and the list goes on. Then I came across an episode of Top Gear on BBC America. I stopped flipping. It's a great show and I would have stopped regardless, but what got me was the car they were profiling that episode--Ferrari's F12 Berlinetta.

Good god, what a vehicle!

Typically this blog is about restoring the best muscle cars of the 60's and 70's. But, this week we are going to take a look at tomorrow's muscle car. The F12 Berlinetta is a helluva ride, or possibly an alien space craft, I'm not really sure which.

The F12 is less angular than Ferrari's of the past. And not as bulky as former grand tourers. It's beautiful, even by the sky high standards of the Italian automaker. What's lurking under the hood is simply frightening, F-1 racing level nastiness. The 382 cubic inch V-12 engine boasts on unbelievable 730 bhp. The 7-speed transmission is controlled via paddles on the steering wheel. The F12 can go 0-60 in under three seconds, 0-120 in 8.5s and it has a top speed of 210 (or faster if rumors prove true.)

The F-12 was named Super Car of the Year in 2012. It is the fastest street legal Ferrari ever built and given the company's history that is saying something.

The F-12 is pure muscle, but with a sticker price north of $300,000, we're guessing you'll stick to restoring your American made and checking out the dyno-runs in our garage.