Ferrari 12Cilindiri Spider: 830 hp, but no roof over your head

Over time, you come across a whole host of engines. From one to 16 cylinders, two-stroke, four-stroke, Wankel, petrol, diesel, gas, hydrogen, electric. Everything possible. But there is one that is at the top. Although there are more powerful, more complicated and louder ones.

But only this one. Ferrari's V12. Six and a half liters, 65 degree bank angle, titanium connecting rod, rocker arm. 830 hp, 9,500 rpm maximum. You don't have to like the brand from Maranello unconditionally, but you can love the F140HD. It is completely itself. A free-flowing monument without any marble-like monumentality. It not only looks sensational, it feels that way too. Pure and powerful, solely through the union of air, super, fire and flame in its shrink-lacquer red heads.

Where other engines rely on artificial respiration or electric assistance, it maintains tradition. Lots of displacement and lots of cylinders result in quick response, rich torque, enormous revving pleasure and power. You can't describe it, you have to experience it. Everything falls into place when it starts. Natural feeling on the foot, incredible sound in the ear, disturbing signals from the sense of balance, at the latest when the right foot lowers towards the floor panel and the rev counter snaps past 7,000. 9,500 rpm. What an experience! Even before that, in the middle range, it moves forward, from 2,500 rpm it pushes out a lot of Newton meters, which are massaged into the 315 Michelins via the eight-speed double clutch on the rear axle. Quick side note: this is not a fanboy text, I also like bulls, Stuttgart horses, stars, propellers and jaguars. Nevertheless, this engine deserves praise.

Especially since they put it in a great coupe. Sorry, now in the convertible too. Ferrari 12Cilindri, they couldn't have called their Spider better, because those are the two things that matter. The engine and driving with the top down. Although the rest in between isn't bad either. The 4.70 meter long aluminum two-seater successfully conjures up the spirit of the Daytona 365 GTB/4 Spyder. Which has been promoted by Miami Vice since the late 80s, even though it wasn't actually one. But that's another story. The 12Cilindri is not a fake, but a bold, clear and cool alternative to other mid-engine and long-hood sports cars. From the pointed nose to the rear with the two scoops, open or closed, it all fits together. Ferrari threw stale visual folklore overboard, serving up a Spider with a consistent front-mid engine layout and a traditional supercar engine with state-of-the-art technology.

You feel it immediately when driving. As soon as you get in, you feel at home; the Ferrari 12Cilindri is not a bad boy who will scare you. That is clear after just one or two bends. You sense the balanced weight distribution (48 percent front, 52 rear), the even stiffer aluminum chassis with extra cross connection, the all-wheel steering with individually controlled rear wheels, the comprehensive and carefully applied electronics from the electronically controlled brake to the SSC 8.0 drift angle control as soon as you start rolling. You experience them gradually as you accelerate slowly. In a cabin that now makes room for the top in the rear instead of two emergency seats like in the coupé. The two occupants in the front are, as before, strictly separated by the center tunnel and also by the cockpit design, which offers a shared screen in the middle, but otherwise assigns the driver and co. their own displays.

The driver controls the 12-cylinder primarily via the steering wheel. How else? Via the steering, of course, but as usual Ferrari also concentrates on lights, indicators, driving dynamics control and infotainment. As long as it is via physical elements, that's fine, but the capacitive buttons are difficult to operate and unworthy of a super sports car. Opinions are divided on the seats, with the answer depending on body shape and personal preferences being between "yes please" and "no thanks". In contrast to the optional Burmester system, which produces finely resolved music with 1,600 watts of power, but can also drown out engine and wind noise if necessary.

The steering and handling also speak with one voice. Everything is right for everyone here - from the feedback to the torque to agility and stability, depending on the driving mode. We don't need to talk about the engine anyway, it's above all else, made even more agile by a shorter gear ratio. Only the eighth gear is longer, because of efficiency. This fig leaf blows away in the wind anyway when the hardtop opens (in 14 seconds at up to 45 km/h).

Now it's spider time. The rear window modulates the airflow as desired, openings in the humps reduce turbulence. And the aerodynamics in general: they help at all corners, from the underbody with fins, inlets and outlets to spoilers and flaps on the body, which always ensure the right downforce for the situation between 60 and 300 km/h. Below and above - up to a maximum of 340 km/h - they guarantee low air resistance and an elegant line.

And it drives as elegantly as it looks. That is the intention of Ferrari, who position the V12 as a dynamic, comfortable classic; others are responsible for the tough sport in Maranello. The Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider avoids strenuous supercar exoticism, but impresses with excellent suspension that smooths out roads even furrowed by tree roots, combined with feedback that always tells you where the car is. The road surface sometimes changes three times in a bend, and the front wheels and rear axle keep you exactly on your feet. If you want to go faster, no problem, the possible grip can be precisely estimated at any time. And then there is the electronics, right up to the Slip Angle Control, which monitors possible drift angles depending on the selected driving mode. After all, the rocker arms, titanium connecting rods and ion current control are supposed to have something to do with the V12.