Ferrari's New Grand Tourer: Scaglietti

Whenever Ferrari announces a new model, everyone who has even a slight interest in the automotive industry takes notice.

They want to see if the legendary Italian carmaker can once again outdo itself, to see if the Prancing Horse can reaffirm its place atop the exotic automakers leader board with something that looks good, steers well and will cover 400m in less time than it takes to scratch an itch.

Ferrari's latest all-new model is of your big-bruiser, top-shelf variety -- think of it as the 7-series model, the Caprice or the S-Class -- packing almost 6.0-litres of V12 grunt in what is yet again a pleasing evolution of the Ferrari 'image'.

It's ultra-long bonnet and sleek cabin look great, while from the front the view is very much Ferrari, but with a dash of curvy modernism.

Called the 612 Scaglietti, the 6 stands for its engine capacity (in litres), while the 12 denotes the number of lovingly-crafted cylinders, and the super sportscar is scheduled to go on sale in European territories early in 2004.

Scaglietti, meanwhile, refers to Sergio Scaglietti, a well-respected Ferrari coachbuiler of yore.

Though the suave new Ferrari was designed by respected Italian automotive panel beaters Pininfarina, Scaglietti was the man who shaped many Ferraris during the 1950s and 60s, such as the 375 MM.

One of the most interesting features of the new Ferrari 2+2 super-cruiser, which is to replace the ageing 456M GTA, is its chassis and panel composition - it's all aluminium, the first time ever in a 12-cylinder Ferrari.

Thanks to a new light-alloy technologies facility, Ferrari is able to built the Scaglietti in-house at its Northern Italian line in Modena, and the most readily discernible improvement to come from this move to aluminium is an increase in basic structural rigidity - by a whopping 60%.

And, while the more rigid sub-structure will improve cornering response and turn in, Ferrari's new aluminium-based diet also helps keep weight down - 60kg less than the 456M GTA in fact, and the Scaglietti is bigger car than its precursor, which helps put things in perspective.

The 4.9-metre long 2+2 grand tourer is designed to go hellishly fast (a Ferrari prerequisite), but also to provide driver and three passengers with a supremely comfortable ride.

As such, the 612 Scaglietti has a longer wheelbase than the 456M, up 350mm, making for more lower-leg room in the rear. All up, the new Ferrari is some 37mm wider, 44mm taller and 139mm longer than the 456M, yet still claims to be Mercedes McLaren SLR fast.

Ingress and egress for rear-seat occupants have also been made less restrictive and the new-look 2004 interior looks seriously impressive.

Things such as dual-zone climate control and a high quality Bose sound system, specifically tailored to suit the unique acoustics of the leather and aluminium trimmed interior, help sweeten the deal considerably, as do improved driver ergonomics.

Equally important to buyers of such high end vehicles is luggage space, and the Scaglietti delivers with a 240-litre boot - some 25% bigger than the 456M.

So, the new Ferrari is longer, wider, taller, more comfy, and indeed lighter than its predecessor, but is it faster?

Packing an extremely powerful (and high-revving) 65° V12 motor, Ferrari types reckon the Scaglietti will surge to 100km/h from rest in just 4.2 seconds - not bad considering a kerb weight of 1840kg.

Naming conventions aside, the not-quite 6.0-litre V12 engine that sits under the bonnet measures 5748cc in total, and makes use of improved fluid dynamic characteristics in relation to the intake and exhaust manifolds. In layman's terms, it breathes better, and should sound better than the 456M to boot.

With dual overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, plus two intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder, the naturally aspirated 350 cubic inch, built-in-Italy V12 makes a staggering 403kW @ 7250rpm. Some 2000rpm lower in the rev range, peak torque of 588Nm kicks in (@ 5250rpm), and the inside word suggests a top speed of just under 200mph - that's roughly 320 km/h.

Getting such monumental quantities of power to the rear wheels - both smoothly and efficiently - is taken care of by either a traditional six-speed manual gearbox, or the new-and-improved F1A electro-hydraulic transmission.

The F1A gearbox is based on the F1 semi-manual transmission on offer in other Ferrari's, such as the 360 Modena, but has been modified to offer smoother shifts to better suit the Scaglietti's more cultured demeanour.

Furthermore, when you consider that the engine is mounted slightly behind the front axle, and the gearbox is assembled somewhat uncharacteristically in unit with the rear differential (a la Maserati's Quattroporte), a front:rear weight distribution of 46:54 will come as no surprise, which will ensure grin-inducing driver feedback.

The 612 Scaglietti also heralds another first for a Ferrari: Stability and traction control. Safety was a big issue during the design phase of the elongated Ferrari, and active damping combined with the above have been implemented to help avert nay nasty right foot-induced incidents. No word on whether these aids are switchable, but Ferrari would be mad not to offer the choice.

The rear-wheel drive Scaglietti rolls on 18-inch wheels up front with 245/45 tyres, and larger 19-inchers at the rear for more power control, these low-profile tyres measuring a fatter 285/40.

So there you have it. Ferrari's brand spanking, highfalutin 612 Scaglietti looks brilliant, packs an almighty wallop and gives occupants more room and better surroundings.

Aluminium chassis and body panels also show that Ferrari isn't adverse to adopting next generation construction techniques, and the revised F1A gearbox will be a godsend to those who didn't care for the abrupt (albeit rapid) gear shifts of the previous 'box.

Ferrari's new Scaglietti is a bold statement by Ferrari, and its vital statistics are intimidating - 1840kg, 403kW, 5.7-litres, 4.2 seconds. The 456M has finally been superceded after a decade of service, but does the Scaglietti outdo its forebear, and has the Prancing Horse reaffirmed its place atop the exotic automakers leader board? Most definitely so.