As first world problems go, not having a Ferrari V12 GT in the garage has to be at about the top of the list.  Over the years, I’ve had a bit of a twisted relationship with front engine Ferrari V12s GTs (Our History with Ferrari V12 GTs).  It can basically be described as lust, acquisition, bonding, drifting apart, and then neglect.  I love the idea, and nothing can beat the feeling of the surge of power a naturally aspirated V12 delivers, but when it comes to owning and using the car, the reality has been a bit of a mixed experience.   The V12s we have owned tend to get a lot of use early on but after a while tend to sit, usually losing the key grab war to the mid-engine V8 Spiders if there was any risk of the sun being out.  Inevitably, shortly thereafter, the V12 GT departs for a new owner.  Then a few years later, the itch for another twelve cylinder GT resurfaces and I relapse back into the clutches of V12 addiction. Which brings us to today and my latest bright red relapse.

The road to the F12 that now sits in our garage started in Dallas many years ago.  During a visit to Boardwalk Ferrari, I saw a stunning rosso corsa F12 in the showroom.  When I inquired on the delta for trading in the 599 GTB HGTE that we owned at the time for the F12, the number I was given reflected a similar type of approach as Pope Leo X had to Martin Luther.  Roll forward half a decade and the door for a Ferrari acquisition reopened.  A good friend is now the General Manager for Ferrari Silicon Valley, one of the leading Ferrari dealerships.  I have purchased multiple cars from him in the past and it has always been a great experience. Having someone I trust on the other side of the deal is something I put an enormous amount of importance on.

With the Ferrari acquisition door now reopened, I started looking at different V12 options again.  While the open air potential of a Ferrari 812 GTS was highly appealing, several days spent with the 812’s coupe sibling (see: Ferrari 812 Review) put an end to that idea.  I also took a look at FFs and GTC Lussos but don’t have a need for 4WD and prefer the lines of the Pininfarina designed F12.  With the decision settled on an F12 it now became a matter of finding the right car at the right price.  That process ended up taking close to two years. 

Buying Journey

Over the two years, I tracked the Ferrari F12 market fairly closely.  While it did head in my direction (i.e down), it did so quite slowly and only incrementally.  The market that did drop was the 812 Superfast and there is now overlap between the two.  With many more 812s available, it will be interesting to see if long term there is an inversion between the two, similar to the situation with the 550 & 575.  On a positive note, as an F12 owner now, the fortitude by which they are holding value is reassuring. 

While the market monitoring was going on, I was also hunting for the right F12.  The perfect Mrs. SSO GT spec is TDF Blue with an ivory interior.  The closest we got to that was a F12 for sale at Ferrari of Seattle. However, the asking price is more a reflection of Cannabis consumption in Washington State than reality.  After a few months, we agreed that Rosso Corsa with a tan interior was also an acceptable spec. 

In May 2023 I got a tip that a Rosso Corsa F12 would be coming up for sale at another Ferrari dealer quite close to me.  It was the right spec, at what looked to be the right price.  As the car had just arrived at the dealership, it was waiting to go through all the pre-sale inspections and prep.  I had a few discussions with the salesman, and we agreed that I would come up to see and test drive it as soon as it was ready for sale.  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one that received that tip, and another party convinced a different salesperson to sell them the car pre inspection.  This was a great reminder to only do business with dealerships where you know and trust the people. 

Roll forward just under a year and two F12s in Mrs. SSO acceptable spec showed up for sale at my favorite Ferrari dealer, Ferrari of Silicon Valley.  Price on both was in a similar ballpark so it came down to the option list.  Both were well optioned, but the slightly older one was fitted with a front nose lift and the newer car was not.  Decision made and very shortly afterward a deal was reached.  I asked Ferrari of Silicon Valley to hold onto the car for a bit as we were traveling so it wasn’t until June that it landed on our driveway.  Once the F12 was rolled off of the transporter, I gave it a through once over and it was exactly, if not better, than what the dealership had described.  The F12 looked spectacular.  The Rosso Corsa paint was excellent, and the beige interior showed little to no signs of wear.  All the carbon fiber trim pieces were spotless.  The only thing I’m not sure I’m sold on, is the black glossy wheels.  They may find themselves swapped out for silver at some point in the future.

1st Impressions

The last several months have been an exercise in getting to know the F12.  There really is nothing quite like a naturally aspirated Ferrari 12-cylinder engine.  There is a really good reason why its highly addictive.  The sound and power delivery is unlike anything else.  It’s completely linear and the power feels like it is endless.  Spend a bit of time with a V12 GT and its easy to understand the meaning behind Enzo Ferrari’s quote about only selling engines and throwing the rest of the car in for free.  Net net, it’s the engine that’s made the strongest impression so far.  While we haven’t taken it on any long road trips yet, we have done a few hour plus drives out into the country.  The Dayton stlye seats are very comfortable, and the driving position is excellent.  Mrs. SSO is a big fan of the rear shelf for her handbag and shopping bags. Having spent the majority of my time in mid-engine supercars over the last several years, getting used to the different sight lines and weight distribution of the F12 has taken a few drives to get used to.  The steering is a bit on the light side for my liking but does have decent feel.  The big ceramic brakes are outstanding and the twin clutch F1 gearbox a huge improvement over the prior one in the 599 GTB.  It’s the 1st F1 gearbox I have driven in a V12 where the gearbox feels like a good match to the engine.  The controls have taken a while to get used to as they are quite different from both the prior generation Ferraris and the latest 296 GTB & SF90.  Ride quality is excellent and the F12 does a spectacular job of flattening out crappy road surfaces when you push the “bumpy road” suspension button. 

The few times I have taken the F12 out on the highway it just devours miles effortlessly.  Overtaking is simply a matter of pulling the left hand paddle, pulling out into the left hand lane, and flexing your right ankle.  The only difficult part is making sure you don’t pile on too much speed to fast and land in jail.  We did get caught in a bit of rain once and it was a non-event.  The rear end stayed completely planted.  On the back country roads, it carves nicely and feels much lighter and more compact than both its predecessor and successor.  Unlike a lot of the older Ferraris though, the F12 handles heavy traffic well.

Summary

While it did take quite a while to find the right F12, I am very glad I had the patience to wait for the right car to show up at the right dealership.  When it did, the whole transaction when seamlessly and it was a great experience.  I also had full trust and confidence that I was getting a great car.  Personally, this is hugely important especially at the start of a relationship with any new supercar.  The bonding process is well underway now and all that is really lacking at this point to cement it is a good long multi-day road trip.  This is high on the list of things to make sure we do this fall.  While it is still very early days, I can see the F12 becoming a long term fixture in the garage.  Many thanks again to the team at Ferrari of Silicon Valley.