Auto Car Magazine: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti in Detail

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti in Detail

The flagship car in the Ferrari range, this 2+2 model signals a genuine break with the past. Ferrari has changed the rules of the game with the 612 Scaglietti to suit the tastes and needs of a highly sophisticated clientele which now demands elegance and dynamic comfort as well as blistering performance. The 612 Scaglietti is very much a third millennium product, offering a whole new generation of technologies compared to the 2+2 it replaces. In fact, it isn’t really a 2+2 at all but more a genuine roomy two-door four-seater that offers its occupants a comfortable, pleasant ride in all driving conditions.

Grand Tourers are a real Ferrari tradition: the Prancing Horse marque built its first 12-cylinder 2+2 in 1948 (the 166 Inter, bodied by Touring), and then added other famous models clothed by such celebrated names as Ghia, Pinin Farina, and Vignale. These included the 212 Inter (1951), the 250 GT (1960), the 330 GT (1964), and the 365 GT (1967) which, for the very first time, boasted an automatic gearbox on some of the examples built for the American market, right up until the 456M of the 1990s.

The new model, skilfully designed by Pininfarina to clothe the engineers’ technical and functional solutions in an aggressive yet elegant body, was named by Ferrari S.p.A. President Luca di Montezemolo in honour of Sergio Scaglietti, the Modenese stylist and coachbuilder who excelled in sculpting aluminium. In fact, Scaglietti was responsible for bodying some of the most beautiful Ferraris of the 1950s and 60s.

The 6 of the 612 indicates the car’s displacement (5,748 cc rounded off), while 12 is the number of cylinders boasted by the engine. This is a car with all of the fiery temperament and driving pleasure of a thoroughbred Ferrari, combining thrilling performance, agility and safety. But it also goes a step further, offering rear passengers two comfortable, roomy seats.

The second design choice to influence the 612 Scaglietti’s styling was its architecture. A mid-front layout with the engine mounted behind the front axle, and the gearbox and differential in unit at the rear ensure that the centre of gravity is kept as far back and as low as possible. Other significant masses (cabin, cooling and exhaust systems, battery, fuel tank) are also positioned much further back than in a conventional layout.

These solutions, combined with an all-aluminium structure which lightens the entire car, deliver a centre of gravity that is considerably lower and further back plus near-perfect weight distribution (46% front, 54% rear). A particularly impressive achievement in a front-engined four-seater.

The 612 Scaglietti offers the kind of dynamic performance (0-62 mph sprint in just 4.2 seconds), stability and nimble manoeuvrability generally only found in a mid-rear engined car, and still has an exceptional amount of space for its passengers and their luggage. The car’s performance is enhanced by a performance-oriented handling set-up with active damping and the special CST stability and traction control system, also in use for the very first time on a Ferrari.

As is traditional at the Prancing Horse, the new car also benefits from the most advanced Ferrari engine and transmission technologies as well as highly sophisticated aerodynamic research. The 65° V12, which displaces almost six litres, is a specially tailored development of the prestigious Ferrari sports car engines. The V12 represents the very pinnacle of Ferrari engine design, thanks in particular to improved fluid dynamic characteristics of the intake and exhaust manifolds, generating a blistering 540 hp at 7250 rpm (almost 100 hp more than the 456M could manage). The result is a car that is easy to handle in all kinds of conditions and hits speeds of over 320 km/h at full throttle.

The 612 Scaglietti has the soul of a sporty berlinetta and the dimensions and design of a luxurious, surprisingly roomy Grand Tourer. Its innovative styling enhances its architecture (long wheel base, cab-rear layout, tiny overhangs) and highlights its dynamism and power.

It boasts a large, sculpted body, long aerodynamic bonnet, strong lines, and characteristic scalloped-sides – the latter a clear reference to the famous 375 MM built for film director Roberto Rossellini as a gift for his wife Ingrid Bergman.

As a genuine ‘four-seater’, the 612 Scaglietti does not compromise when it comes to occupant comfort. In fact, a host of features, ranging from the size of the doors to specially developed solutions, such as the hinging system and the easy entry function, means that all four passengers will find it easy to get in and out of the car at all times.

DESIGN

The design of the 612 Scaglietti fully expresses the model’s new values. In fact, Ferrari made a conceptual choice with Pininfarina to ensure that the four-seater would be a genuine departure from previous Grand Tourer models. It also made a technical decision that the bodywork would have to clothe a completely innovative structural layout. The 612 Scaglietti translates this approach into wonderfully aerodynamic lines. It is softly and elegantly aggressive, sculpted to express the powerful personality of a prestigious high performance, surprisingly roomy car.

Its strong lines run over full, solid surfaces, creating sensual forms that still have the tension of a true thoroughbred.

The long scallops on the 612 Scaglietti’s flanks lend it character and aerodynamic elegance too. These are borrowed from another famous Ferrari, the 375 MM ordered by Roberto Rossellini as a gift for his wife Ingrid Bergman. The choice of the scalloped sides was far from casual as the only example ever built of the 375 MM was shown at the Paris Show in 1954: it was a truly magnificent model that married high performance engineering with a sophisticated, thoroughbred body.

The front wheel arches are very long with a shorter overhang while the rear ones are prominent and muscular to support the C-post. A dihedral enhances the line along the whole upper side. The projector headlights have transparent covers. The 612 Scaglietti’s twin xenon projector headlights also offer a beam that is far superior to traditional halogen lights.

The traditional Ferrari air intake is given an original twist with the wheel arches protruding slightly further than the bonnet. The latter, thanks to a low, pulled-back engine, is set deep between the wheel arches which are the car’s dominant volumes and give it an aerodynamic flourish accentuated by the crisp aluminium crease.

The rear section is big and solid-looking with the classic high tail lights. This design meets the aerodynamic demands of the slender profile that increases downforce. Especially for the 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari has added two new shades to its colour range: ‘Rubino Micalizzato’ and ‘Blu Mirabeau’.

INTERIOR

The 612 Scaglietti boasts a wonderfully sophisticated sporty interior that reflects its all-aluminium structure and advanced technologies. The pressed or solid aluminium used for the interior becomes a decorative element: it’s there on the climate control buttons, the F1A paddles, the pedals and passenger treadplate.

The dashboard offers the driver a cluster of analogue and digital instruments. Alongside the big rev counter is the five inch multifunctional display with three modes: base, trip computer and tyre pressure.

The main driving controls are all mounted on the steering wheel too. The dynamic driving buttons are on the right (activate/deactivate Sport and CST) and the display buttons are on the left.

The cabin’s functionality is highlighted by the use of great swathes of beautifully crafted leather which is hand-stitched and discreetly but incredibly comfortably padded. The same leather used for the seats is also used for the door pockets handles, and knee rests too.

This is an exclusive, sporty cabin in which comfort is assured by the climate control and audio systems. The former is dual-zone and automatically regulates in-car temperature, humidity and ventilation levels. Aluminium controls on the central console allow both driver and front passenger to set the air flow strengths and desired temperature (17 to 27 °C). The vent clusters (on the dash, doors and central tunnel) guarantee excellent comfort levels to all of the occupants.

The sound system includes radio, CD player (a compartment on the dash holds four CDs while a further six are contained in the CD loader in the boot) and a six-channel digital unit, developed especially for the 612 Scaglietti by Bose^®. Cutting edge in the automobile sector, the system offers the same kind of audio quality of a top flight home entertainment centre. The system boasts three tweeters on the dash, two woofers and two tweeters on the sides of the rear seats, one amplified 100 W bass box in the front and one 100 W amplified subwoofer (diameter 250 mm) at head-level. A microphone in the roof lamp controls the Audio Pilot™ which automatically equalises the sound if it senses other background noise or disturbance. Other features offered as standard with the 612 Scaglietti include: a dusk sensor switch which automatically turns on the headlights when activated, a rain sensor for automatic windscreen wiper actioning; an antitheft system with alarm (the immobiliser is controlled by inserting the key which has an in-built transponder).

The luggage compartment is bigger too: 240 litres as opposed to the 456M’s 190 and the spare tyre cubby hole can be used for extra luggage too.

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