Ferrari F12tdf pays homage to Tour De France endurance road race

The F12tdf pays homage to the Tour de France, the endurance road race that Ferrari dominated in the 1950s and ‘60s, particularly with the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta which won four consecutive editions.

The F12tdf is characterized by several innovations involving the engine, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics.

A radical redesign of the bodywork, interior, engine, transmission and running gear, along with the extendisve use of carbon-fiber, has reduced the car’s overall weight by 110 kg.

Design

In creating the new F12tdf the designers from the Ferrari Styling Centre have revised all of the bodywork panels, from the nose to the tail.

The wider front and rear tracks give the car an even more aggressive stance.

In terms of the formal design language, the objective was to create a sophisticated interaction between the sculptural surfaces of the F12berlinetta and a more graphic treatment of the various new aerodynamic features.

The best testament to this intent is the evolution of the Aerobridge, the design of  which is further enhanced by the use of bare carbon-fiber. Developed in such a technical manner, this component combines with the other details in creating a coherent aesthetic approach to the whole car.

The car’s sportiness is expressed with the same degree of purity in the deliberately minimalistic cockpit. The wrap-around effect that embraces the driving position is intensified by the use of carbon-fibre housings for the instruments and satellite pods.

The door panels have been pared back to a single carbon-fibre shell, while the glove compartment has disappeared to be replaced by simple knee padding.

Alcantara rather the traditional leather was chosen for the cabin trim, technical fabric for the seats and patterned aluminium instead of mats for the floor, once again with the aim of saving every last ounce of weight.

The F12tdf’s specification is completed by lightweight alloys with five twinned spokes that are designed to have the narrowest section possible to reduce unsprung weight.

Technical Features and Performances

The F12tdf is powered by the 780 cv, naturally-aspirated V12 derived directly from the F12berlinetta’s engine.

The car’s dynamic behaviour, has increased lateral acceleration in corners thanks to an 8% increase in the ratio of the front tires compared to the rear ones.

The car’s natural tendency to oversteer as a result of the change in tire sizes is compensated for by the innovative rear-wheel steering system – known as the Virtual Short Wheelbase, which is integrated with the other vehicle dynamic control systems.

Cornering speeds are also higher thanks to the significant increase in downforce – +87%.

All of these factors combine to produce a 0-100 km/h time of 2.9 seconds and a 0-200 km/h of 7.9 seconds. The F12tdf laps Fiorano in just 1’21”.

Braking performances are guaranteed by the adoption of the new Extreme Design one-piece brake callipers already seen on the LaFerrari. The F12tdf can brake from 100-0 km/h in just 30.5 m and from 200-0 in 121 m.

AERODYNAMICS

The F12tdf’s aerodynamic performance is nothing short of record-breaking – its aerodynamic efficiency figure is 1.6, almost double that of the F12berlinetta. Downforce is 230 kg at 200 km/h, which is an impressive 107 kg more.

Development affected every area of the car’s surface, producing striking elements that lend its forms a unique sleek power. At the front, a highly complex bumper contributes to downforce generation. It features a radically scooped lower section and incorporates a competition car-inspired splitter, dive planes, floor wings and louvres to boost the efficiency of both the sides and the underbody.

The Aerobridge on the car’s front flank has been redesigned to increase the energising effect of the air flow along the top of the sides, while at the rear, louvres on the wheelarch create a depression that extracts air from the inner wheelarch, thereby increasing the efficiency of a section of the underbody that is usually little used in generating downforce.

The rear spoiler is now 60mm longer and 30mm higher, while the rake of the rear screen has been made more vertical to extend the surface area over which the spoiler can generate downforce and to capitalise on its advantages more effectively. The concave curvature of the rear luggage hatch either side of the rear screen further enhances the solution.

Three pairs of GT-racing-derived strakes have been adopted on the aerodynamic underbody and are responsible for 30% of the increase in downforce compared to the F12berlinetta. The rear diffuser has been completely redesigned and now sports a system of three active flaps. It has been split into three channels and features curved fences and vertical splitters to boost the power of the vortexes and enhance the expansion of the flow in the horizontal plane. This radical aerodynamic design work essentially created a whole new car that also marks a major stylistic departure from the  F12berlinetta.

Text and images of the F12tdf can be downloaded from the Ferrari media site: www.media.ferrari.com

F12tdf Technical Specifications

Engine

Dimensions and weight

Tyres and wheel rims

Performance

Fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions

Fuel consumption: 15.4 l/100 km

Emissions: 360 g/km

(Source: Ferrari)