Ferrari’s beloved naturally-aspirated V12 looks set to keep kicking for a few more years and an intriguing mule from the marque with its V12 was recently snapped during testing.
In recent months, a handful of Ferrari test mules have been spied testing near the company’s Italian factory and adorned with the bodywork of the Roma. However, the proportions of the car have been changed slightly to accommodate the new powertrain. The camouflaged test car has now been spied during cold-weather testing near the Arctic Circle.
While the obvious conclusion would be that Ferrari is developing a V12-powered variant, we don’t believe that’s the case. After all, such a model would eat into the sales of the 812 Superfast, mainly since a V12 Roma would be cheaper. Instead, we believe it is more likely that this is an early mule of the 812’s successor.
While it may only seem like yesterday that the 812 Superfast was introduced as the replacement to the F12berlinneta, it has actually been in production since April 2017. This means its production run has already been longer than the F12 and matches the six years the 599 GTB stayed in production. It has also been two years since the flagship Competizione and Competizione A variants were introduced so now seems like the ideal time for Ferrari to ready its next great front mid-engined grand tourer.
Watch: Wild V12-Powered Ferrari Roma Mule Spotted Hiding The 812 Successor
Given that Ferrari is disguising this next-generation model as the Roma, it’s difficult to know what the eventual production model will look like. We suspect it will take some styling influence from the SF90 Stradale, 296 GTB, and the new Purosangue.
Full details of the powertrain also remain a mystery. While we know the new car has a naturally-aspirated V12, it isn’t known if this engine retains the same 6.5-liter displacement as the 812. It is also unclear if the engine will be supplemented by some kind of hybrid system to make it more fuel efficient.
