The Soul of Ferrari – The V12 Engine

Every country that builds cars has an iconic engine. For America it’s the good old-fashioned lump-sum V8, for Britain, it’s the war-born straight-six, for Germany it’s a whole range, Flat-6s, V10s, 5-cylinder turbos. But in Italy, no engine matters more than a high-revving, pure, soulful and beautiful V12.

The V12 is at the heart of nearly every exotic car maker in Italy. AMG will still to this day build V12s just for Pagani, even if they don’t use them themselves. Lamborghini against all odds, hybridised the V12 for the Revuelto just to keep it around for another decade. But no car maker celebrates the V12 quite like Ferrari.

The V12 has been a staple at Ferrari for 76 years, used in the very first road car Ferrari ever built, the 166 Inter. Since then it’s been used in a whole range of Ferraris from 2+2 Grand Tourers like the 612 Scaglietti, to monstrous GT-inspired road racers like the 812 Competizione to Ferrari’s Halo greats like the LaFerrari.

Ferrari have stated many a time that they eventually plan to retire the V12 at some point, but each and every time they stop themselves and keep it around just that bit longer. The current V12 unit used by Ferrari, the F140 has been around since 2002 with the Enzo and is currently featured in the 12Cilindri, Purosangue and Daytona SP3.

Sadly it’s clear this unit is running out of life, reaching its top-end horsepower of 830hp in the SP3. Now in ordinary cases, if an engine has run its ground, a manufacturer tends to replace it with a smaller more compact unit that’s often hybridised. Ferrari themselves are no stranger to this.

It was clear that the twin-turbo V8 had run its course with the F8, so it was replaced by a hybridised twin-turbo V6, used in both the 296 and the F80. However replacing the V12 is clearly an act of Beelzebub at Ferrari, that engine is the heart and soul, their cherished child if you will.

So Ferrari’s response is not to simply replace the V12, more replace the current unit with an all-new one. Similar to how Porsche recently patented an all-new 6-stroke engine just to keep the 911 alive, Ferrari have patented an all-new V12 to keep the soul of their company alive. What does this new unit have to offer, let’s dive in and find out.

Oval Pistons, the future of the V12

In 1979, Honda wanted to develop an engine to grant them victory in the Grand Prix Motorcycle race series. The result was the NR500 which had a unique Oval Piston arrangement. Now mechanical wise this was a failure. Construction was a nightmare, the engine suffered from sealing issues and it never actually took Honda to any success.

But Ferrari believes Honda’s failure in Oval Pistons is actually the key to saving the V12. Their patent proposes their new V12 will feature an oval piston arrangement. This flattening of the pistons means they can be arranged closer together shortening the engine’s longitudinal footprint.

The design also includes a shared crankshaft journal, meaning opposing pistons connect to a single crankshaft bearing rather than individual components. Now given Honda’s history with Oval Pistons, it’s understandable that Ferrari would need to tread carefully. After all, balancing an engine with shared crankshaft journals does affect smoothness and durability.

That being said the NR500 was built in 1979 and technology has moved a lot since then. 3D printing means intricate designs that were impossible back in 1979 are now possible, High-strength alloys, reduce wear and improve durability and computer modelling, and optimise airflow and combustion efficiency. And its undeniable if Ferrari pulls this off, they have a lot to celebrate.

The Benefits of the New V12

By being a more compact V12, this new unit will have improved weight distribution and reduced internal friction. This generates more power, makes the future Ferrari sharper to drive and far more responsive. All the core factors that truly define why Ferrari are so special?

And in being more compact means this V12 could see usage in more than just one type of Ferrari. Not just pure and in a road-racer GTs like the 12Cilindri, but maybe hybridised like in the 296 replacement or SF90 replacement or even the F80 replacement. Or maybe just a pure-revving mid-engine V12, why not?

It should be noted this new V12 isn’t the only engine Ferrari have recently patented. They also patented an upside-down hydrogen V6. Undoubtedly this latter will be popular given the climate moves to Hydrogen fuel cell technology. But here and now, the V12 seems like a more tempting offer.

It’s unknown whether Ferrari will go ahead with this oval-piston V12 but the idea that both them and Porsche are willing to incur the cost of brand-new engines as well as heavy investment in E-fuels clearly shows that they know what their fans and customers want. The roar, response and soundtrack of an unadulterated, raucous V12.

Source: Top Gear