Ferrari made a conceptual shift with Pininfarina, ensuring the 612 Scaglietti would be a genuine departure from previous GT models.

The Prancing Horse’s story is one of prestige, aristocratic cars designed to meld effortless elegance with powerful sporty performance. A glorious past beautifully embodied by the utterly unique 612 Scaglietti. Ferrari has always been a major presence in the GT world. In fact, the launch of its 166 Inter in 1948 hailed the era of the 2+2 models, two-door four-seaters that delivered both thrilling driving and comfortable interiors. Since that time, Ferrari has produced a succession of enormously successful 2+2s, from the 212 Inter in 1951 to the 456M in the 1990s.

This new model pays homage to the genius of Sergio Scaglietti, the Modenese coachbuilder par excellence, the “maestro of aluminium” who bodied some of the most famous Ferraris of all time. The 6 of the 612 indicates the car’s displacement (5748 cm3 rounded off) while 12 is the number of cylinders boasted by its engine. The 612 Scaglietti exudes that same sophisticated, classy allure as its glorious predecessors yet also has a highly individual sporty character that makes it suitable even for longer journeys. In fact, it is this beautifully struck balance of dynamism and comfort that really sets this new model apart.

The 612 Scaglietti’s sleek exterior exudes the allure of a blisteringly fast rear wheel-drive front-engined Coupé yet hides an exceptionally roomy cabin capable of accommodating four occupants in complete comfort. The car’s all-aluminium chassis and bodywork are not only incredibly light but also offer other significant benefits in terms of performance both on the road and under braking. The 612 Scaglietti also boasts a powerful, dynamic 48-valve V12 engine that punches out 540 CV at 7250 rpm, gives it a maximum speed of 199 mph and lets it sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 4 seconds.

Aided by the fact that the engine has been situated further back, the Transaxle system delivers near-perfect weight distribution of 54% rear while the active suspension system also automatically adapts to suit the road conditions. The 612 Scaglietti’s cabin has been designed for superb occupant comfort and offers almost unlimited personalisation options. However, the 612 Scaglietti’s most revolutionary technical feature has to be its panoramic electrochromic roof which has three tint settings and gives all four occupants the feeling of travelling in an open top car. Last but far from least is the 612 Scaglietti’s array of cutting edge technological accessories which include the Bose® in-car entertainment system and climate control, and make life aboard a pleasure indeed.

Fiery, dynamic, powerful-looking from the outside. Luxurious sophisticated and sumptuously comfortable inside. The 612 Scaglietti is a thrilling sophisticated and agile car to drive but it’s also designed for longer journeys and city use too.

The cabin arrangement and careful ergonomic study mean that it has four full seats in its elegant roomy cabin. Getting into and out of the 612 Scaglietti is easy too, thanks to special door hinges that ensure that the doors open wider. There’s also an electric “easy entry-exit” switch which lowers the front seat and its headrest and slides it forward while the steering wheel tilts. The roomy interior is complemented by a boot that can accommodate the six-piece luggage set made specifically for the model by Ferrari.

Even admiring the 612 Scaglietti’s sumptuous cabin is an experience in itself. The quality of the handcrafting and the materials ensure the eye lingers over every last, tiny detail. The cabin finish can be completely personalised, of course, and owners are given the opportunity to choose from several different types of dash inserts, seat trim and door panels.

The natural full-grain leathers used are buttery soft and tactile. Available in a choice of 12 colours they are produced using special natural processes to enhance their softness and elasticity. The result is simply stunning to look and warm to the touch. The various functional inserts are all colour matched too with the materials chosen. These include tone-on-tone seat belts and technical elements on the dash, panels and seats.

Details are both functional and decorative. Aluminium is used, for instance, on the dash, air vent cluster, the climate control controls, the roof rheostat, the F1 A gear paddles, the passenger treadplate and driver pedals. Even the small door buttons can be matched to the burnished, aluminium or leather trim of the dash.

Offering unparalleled space and airiness: all four occupants really will feel as if they’re travellng in a drop-top.

The 612 Scaglietti’s innovative panoramic stratified glass roof extends from windscreen to rear window, right across the top of the cabin, giving all four occupants the drop-top driving sensation of space and airiness yet with all the comfort of a coupé. The roof also has three tint level settings.

Both the 612 Scaglietti’s chassis and bodyshell are made from aluminium, of course. Sophisticated production and assembly technologies developed in collaboration with American company Alcoa have resulted in a significant reduction in overall car weight and exceptionally high torsional rigidity, both essential factors in delivering the blistering performance demanded of any Ferrari.

The 612 Scaglietti boasts a spaceframe chassis. In fact, its structure is made up of straight aluminium extrusions connected by casts which act as joints. Sheet aluminium reinforces the structureThe chassis architecture also includes four large castings on which all the suspension and steering mounting points are CNC machined. This guarantees the correct dimensioning of the structure in the areas of greatest stress.

The rear-mounted gearbox is connected to the differential, with bevel-type final drive and limited-slip differential. The 612 Scaglietti’s transaxle trasmission sees the rear-mounted gearbox in unit with the differential with bevel-type final drive and limited-slip differential in the same function. This is a six-gear set-up with multi-cone synchronisers. The limited-slip differential is calibrated for 25% under acceleration and 45% on lift off to offer optimal balance between traction and stability in any condition.

Another important innovation in the 612 Scaglietti is the F1Aelectro-hydraulic gearbox which available in addition to the manual and is controlled using the now classic Ferrari paddle and switch on the central tunnel.

The F1-type gearbox is a point of distinction for all of the Ferraris in the current range. However, in the 612 Scaglietti it finds its ultimate application. The F1-SuperFast gear-changing strategy results in overall gear-shift times being cut to 100 ms in high performance driving situations.

In the case of the 612 Scaglietti, the F1-SuperFast has been honed to deliver enhanced driving pleasure without impinging in the least on ride comfort in day-to-day conditions where the shifting strategy is managed by Sofast3 software. Drivers can also select a SPORT setting either using the manettino or the F1-S button on the F1 command console.