2015 Geneva Motor Show: Ferrari won’t do “stupid”

FERRARI does fast, but it won’t do “stupid”, says CEO Amedeo Felisa, so the company’s embrace of turbo power for the V8 California T and new 488 GTB won’t extend to the company’s trademark V12.

“To move a 12-cylinder to a turbo is something we can do, but that means we are more than 1000 horsepower on the cars… that means stupid.”

As Felisa points out, turbocharging Ferrari’s existing 6.3-litre V12, which already produces 544kW (730 horsepower) in the fabulous F12 Berlinetta, would create a Bugatti-basher of an engine.

But “it does not make sense”, Felisa says.

Better instead to improve the technical efficiency of the V12, “which is what we are trying to do”.

Felisa believes that, despite tougher emission rules coming at the end of the decade for low-volume manufacturers like Ferrari, his engineers will be able to find ways to keep the V12 in production until at least that time.

“Twelve cylinders for me is one of the best Ferrari engines,” he says. “We have to defend that.

“2020 means six years. We have time to find new solutions.”