Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 2006

By Bruno Bouchard

The hand of steel in a velvet glove

The Scaglietti finds itself somewhat squeezed in the middle of the Ferrari group: less sporty than the F430 and more timid than the Maranello 575. Nevertheless, just a few turns of the steering wheel and the Scaglietti’s place in the Ferrari tradition becomes obvious. The engine accelerates with disconcerting ease. Supple, powerful, and the motor music has no equal. Also, the Italian handles with aplomb, regardless of the situation.

Performance

At the base of these impressive performances, considering the car’s weight, lies a 5.7 litre, V12; the power plant produces 540hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. These are roughly the Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s numbers, which we tried out recently. Ferrari gets more credit, I’m afraid, because Bentley uses two turbos to reach that power. The Ferrari V12 simply enchants you; haunting sound, excellent performances, response time reduced to the minimum and the V12 flexibility. Pity, however, that the clutchless Cambiocorsa box was badly adapted. This same box thrilled me in the f-430 last year but coupled with a Scaglietti V12, the jerky motion becomes bothersome. The occupants could suffer from the vehicle’s hiccups when it gears up quickly. The engine’s power is such that within fractions of a second as the gears go through their paces, the accumulated energy seems too great thus the kickback occurs. However, these kickbacks do not a happen during normal driving. The Scaglietti’s road adhesion impresses mightily given the vehicle’s size; you never get the impression of being at the wheel of a 1843kg machine. The Scaglietti’s agility shows in tight turns and in long rapid curves. A driver feels safe when a vehicle keeps its heading.