The day on which a new Ferrari is unveiled is like The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas wrapped up in one. It brings with it all the delights of the trio of holidays in one bright, shiny package. Unfortunately, such a day comes so infrequently, it's hard to know when to get excited -- it's not something that can be planned for.
Today, however, there's some good news: it's new Ferrari day.
The new release is called the F12tdf, and it's more than a slight tweaking of the F12 Berlinetta. It's nearly a whole new car. But before we discuss why, let's look first at its name and its lineage.
The F12tdf is the intellectual successor to the 250 GT. It mates a stunning but functional body design with raucous power and savage acceleration, all in a package that can be managed even by a non-professional driver thanks to its cutting-edge technology and Italian finesse.
And there's much technology indeed. The F12tdf debuts Ferrari's new rear-wheel steering system called "Virtual Short Wheelbase." The system mimics the sharp handling characteristics of a much smaller car by taking into account steering angle, how fast the driver is steering and vehicle speed to calculate optimal rear-wheel steering adjustments. The result is a car that not only handles more nimbly but is also more stable at higher speeds -- all good things, considering the power that's available at the tip of the driver's right foot.
Thankfully, Ferrari designers have fitted the F12tdf with more than turning tech and momentous acceleration, it can stop better than it can go. With one-piece brake calipers borrowed from the LaFerrari hybrid hypercar, the F12tdf can slam to a complete stop from 62 mph in 100 feet and from 124 mph in 396 feet. For comparison, the current Ford Explorer takes 122 feet to slow from 60 mph to 0.
In addition to horsepower and handling gains, Ferrari engineers quite nearly completely reworked the F12's body in transformation from Berlinetta to tdf. The front and rear are both wider than before, which is accented by smaller front wheels that add to the quickness of the car's steering. And the car designers have worked all over the car to make it not only more sensational, but also more aerodynamic.
[img src="http://admin.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ferrari_F12tdf_7low.jpg" caption="Lightness was the name of the game in the "Spartan" interior." credit="Ferrari" alt="Ferrari F12tdf"]Those three louvres cut into each rear wheel arch, for example, do more than make the car look like some evil sea creature. They free up air normally trapped in the wheel arch, making the underbody aerodynamics more effective. Thanks to the drastic reshaping of the car, it weighs 242 pounds less than the Berlinetta.
Those weight savings might not be apparent from the outside, but from the inside they're quite clear. The carpets have been removed, leaving just an aluminum floor. The seats are no longer covered in leather, but are instead draped in Alcantara. And though the carbon fiber-covered interior, which Ferrari calls "Spartan," is less luxurious, it's nonetheless stylish -- looking a bit like the suit of the caped crusader.
