My Ardit Car: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti : 2009

The 612 Scaglietti is the result of an avant-garde design that continues the great Ferrari 2+2 tradition. Styled by Pininfarina, the 612 Scaglietti is named in honour of Sergio Scaglietti, the Modenese stylist and coachbuilder responsible for bodying some of the most beautiful Ferraris of the 1950s and 60s. The 612 Scaglietti epitomises Ferrari’s talent for innovation and design. This exhilaratingly nimble, beautifully balanced sporty front-engined rear-wheel drive berlinetta offers a cockpit capable of accommodating four occupants in unprecedented comfort. The 612 Scaglietti isn’t just a 2+2 but a spacious two-door four-seater that’s a pleasure to be aboard in any driving conditions.

2009 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. (source: Ferrari)

Styling.

While the 612 Scaglietti has the heart of a sporty coupé, its luxurious dimensions and design are that of a surprisingly roomy Granturismo. Its deft Pininfarina styling is as innovative as its design, underscoring its dynamism and power. The result is an imposingly sculptural car with a long sleek bonnet, strong lines and signature scooped flanks borrowed from the famous Rossellini-Bergman 375 MM. The cockpit can be completely personalised at the client’s request, and features aluminium elements and handcrafted full-grain leather trim. A sporty yet sophisticated ambience that mirrors the model’s cutting-edge technologies, which include a wide range of features designed to deliver maximum driving pleasure and in-car comfort.

Chassis.

The 612 Scaglietti was the very first all-aluminium Ferrari 12-cylinder. It’s no surprise therefore, that it is named in honour of Sergio Scaglietti, the Modenese coachbuilder who worked with Enzo Ferrari in the early years of his great adventure, masterfully sculpting some of the most famous track and road-going Ferraris ever from that very metal (which is just a third of the specific weight of steel). Both the 612 Scaglietti’s chassis and bodywork are aluminium.

Roof.

The 612 Scaglietti’s innovative panoramic stratified glass roof extends right across the top of the cockpit from windscreen to rear window, giving all four occupants a drop-top driving sensation of spaciousness and airiness. There are three tint level settings to allow occupants adjust the amount of sunlight allowed into the car.

Braking system and wheels.

The 612 Scaglietti’s braking system features CCM (carbon ceramic material) discs, making it highly responsive and efficient even in the most intense driving conditions. The 612 Scaglietti’s brakes are also exceptionally resistant to fading and thus guarantee effective braking in high-stress driving situations. The use of CCM technology guarantees enhanced ride quality too. The 612 Scaglietti’s wheels have been selected for optimal performance and weight reduction.

The 19” x 8 J front wheels and 19” x 10 J rear wheels are cast in aluminium and a roller-coater is used on the channel for optimal distribution of the material (a sophisticated process that optimises the metallurgical qualities of the wheel). This led to a weight-saving of 10% compared to standard wheels of similar dimensions and design. The 612 Scaglietti’s big tyres (19” 245 / 40 ZR and 19” 285 /4 0 ZR) are the result of lengthy development work on the Fiorano circuit and out on the road to guarantee just the right level of comfort even in very high performance driving situations.

Interior.

Ferrari’s team of highly-experienced, passionate artisan cockpit trim experts ensure that every 612 Scaglietti leaves Maranello with an elegantly sophisticated and sporty cockpit honed to meet the tastes of its owner. This bespoke quality and exclusivity means that owners can choose from a range of dash panel inserts, seat trims and side panels. Exceptional attention is lavished on even smaller details, such as the door frames which are burnished if the dash is burnished or leather-trimmed, or aluminium if it is light aluminium. The dash sports a cluster of analogue and digital instruments which are laid out directly in front of the driver. Alongside the rev counter, which takes pride of place, there’s also a 5” multifunctional display with innovative graphics offering a choice of three modes: base, trip computer and tyre pressure. The three-spoke steering wheel sports two Ferrari signatures, the manettino and the Engine Start button. The easy-to-reach main controls for the onboard infotainment system are also steering wheel-mounted. The dual zone climate control automatically adjusts cockpit temperature, humidity levels and ventilation. An 8-channel Surround Sound audio system was developed specifically for the cockpit so that the acoustics are on a par with the best Home Theatre system, in all driving conditions.

Engine.

The 612 Scaglietti is powered by an imposing 5,748 cm³ 65° V12 that delivers 540 CV at 7,250 rpm, 98 CV more than the 456M’s 5,474 cm³ unit. The engine has been worked upon on various levels to optimise performance and improve fluid dynamics. Specifically, it boasts more direct air intake tracts with two ducts from the radiator grille opening on the front bumper, new exhaust system geometries and volumes to reduce back-pressure, a boosted compression ratio (11.2:1), and inlet tracts and exhaust porting with improved fluid dynamic characteristics. It is controlled by a Bosch Motronic ME7 ECU. Meticulous honing of the 612 Scaglietti’s dynamic handling has resulted in prompt yet smooth responsiveness, making it easier to control in all kinds of conditions.

Gearbox and transmission.

The F1-type gearbox has become a signature on all Ferraris but the 612 Scaglietti also features the F1-SuperFast gearshifting strategy, already in use on the high performance 599 GTB Fiorano and 430 Scuderia berlinettas. This cuts gear-changing times (calculated on the basis of the so-called “acceleration gap”) to 100 ms in high performance situations. Drivers can also select a SPORT setting either using the manettino or the F1-S button on the F1 command console. The F1-S button only selects the gear shifting strategies of the F1 gearbox only in the SPORT/NORMAL positions. This will allow the car to be used in two other dynamic combinations: gear-changing in SPORT with manettino at the COMFORT setting or gear-changing in NORMAL with the manettino set at SPORT. The six-speed mechanical gearbox features the electro-hydraulic set-up, known as the F1A, which also has a new generation automatic mode to deliver improved driving comfort. The 612 Scaglietti’s gearbox now includes a new smaller diameter flywheel and twin-plate clutch, in unit with the engine too.

Suspension and stability control.

The 612 Scaglietti’s suspension features active damping and variable calibration for a high performance yet adaptive set-up. By tuning into the independent active aluminium dampers with coil springs, the system “reads” the road surface characteristics (smooth, bumpy) and instantly evaluates the movements of both the car and suspension. The forged aluminium double wishbones front and rear are mounted on aluminium and rubber rose joints. They have anti-dive and anti-squat geometry to prevent the front diving under braking and the rear squatting under acceleration. The optimal handling-comfort compromise for the current driving style and road surface can be selected by choosing between Normal (softer calibration) or Sport (sporty driving) using the steering wheel-mounted GranTurismo manettino. In addition to its efficient suspension system, the car also sports electronic CST (Stability and Traction Control), ASR (Traction in Acceleration) and ABS.

Personalisation programme.

The 612 Scaglietti personalisation programme allows clients to enhance their Ferrari to suit their own personal tastes and requirements, turning it into a truly unique car. In addition to choosing from the Personalisation programme catalogue, which covers four areas (Racing and Track, Exteriors and Colours, Interiors and Materials, Equipment and Travel), clients may make non-catalogue requests too. Ferrari also offers 612 Scaglietti owners the opportunity to avail of the exclusive One-to-One Programme, to create their own bespoke version of the Ferrari flagship model. To do so, they visit the dedicated Atelier at the Maranello complex where they choose every detail of their car with the assistance of a dedicated Ferrari One-to-One consultant.

Technical Specifications.

Dimensions.

Overall length: 193.0 in

Overall width: 77.0 in

Height: 52.9 in

Wheelbase: 116.1 in

Front track: 66.5 in

Rear track: 64.6 in

Dry weight*: 3880 lb

Kerb weight*: 4134 lb

Fuel capacity: 24 UK gal (29 US gal)

Tires.

Front: 245/40 ZR 19”

Rear: 285/40 ZR 19”

Brakes.

Front: 15 x 1.34 in

Rear: 14.2x 1.26 in

Engine.

Type: 12V 65°/65° V12

Bore/stroke: 3.50 x 3.03 in

Unit displacement: 29.2 cu in

Total displacement: 350.8 cu in

Compression ratio: 11.2:

Maximum power**: 397 kW (540 CV) at 7250 rpm

Maximum torque: 588 Nm (434 lbft) at 5250 rpm

Performance.

Maximum speed: 199 mph

0-100 km/h/0-62 mph: 4 s

Gearbox.

F1 A, 6 gears+reverse

Fuel consumption.

Combined (ECE+EUDC)*: 20.5 l/100 km

C02 emission.

Combined (ECE+EUDC)*: 470 g/km

European market version

** Engine power is expressed in kW, in accordance with the International System of Units (SI) and in CV for reasons of homogeneity. The horse power (hp) can be calculated as follows: 1 kW = 1.34 hp

(source: Ferrari)