by Robert Lewis (17 Oct 03)

There are several firsts about the new Ferrari two-plus-two, as well as a dip into the company's history. The 612 Scaglietti has a 12-cylinder engine of (almost) six litres, and it brings back the name of the great coachbuilder of earlier decades, Sergio Scaglietti.

He worked with Enzo Ferrari from the start of the whole enterprise, being responsible for building cars like the 750 Monza, the early examples of the 500 Mondial, and the 250GT Berlinetta about which Anthony Pritchard once wrote that the bodywork of the car Stirling Moss used to win the Goodwood TT race in 1960 and 1961 "was so thin that a hefty shove on the front wing against the suspension would dent the wing".

Scaglietti himself was well used to working with aluminium, and it's appropriate that his name is featuring on the 2004 car which will be the first V12 Ferrari built in-house with aluminium space-frame and body panels.

The 612 Scaglietti replaces the 456M, which was in production from 1998 until a few weeks ago, and was itself a replacement for the 456 built between 1993 and 1998. Ferrari produced 1320 examples of the 456M, with a roughly 50/50 split between the manual transmission GT version and the GTA automatic.

Buyers of the new model will have also have a choice of transmission types, or at least of gear change mechanisms. The standard six-speed box can be operated either via a floor change or through - and it does make sense to give it this tag in a Ferrari, of all cars - the very latest F1-style paddle shift.

Classic Ferrari V12

While the 5748cc 65-degree engine pours out 540bhp and 434lb/ft of torque, allowing for a 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed not far short of 200mph, Ferrari is stressing other elements of the design, and not just performance.

Thanks to a wheelbase considerably longer, as well as wider and taller than that of the 456M, the passenger cabin is roomier. So is the boot, which is able to take a five-piece set of tailored Ferrari luggage.

The cabin fittings are a mix of competition-style and luxurious, and there's a completely new approach, for a production-run Ferrari, to the ergonomics of the controls and switchgear. Trim is a combination of leather and aluminium.

Dual-zone climate control and a Hi-End Bose sound system are 21st-century Ferrari style for a four-seater of this persuasion. But there's all that power to be kept a grip of, and it's at least as important that the Scaglietti will come with active damping and a brand-new stability and traction control system.

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