Do you ever get persecuted for driving a fast car? I decided to drive my nice car this weekend, and it provoked smug remarks from a hybrid owner at the gas pump. The uneducated among us who somehow achieved a driver’s license will never understand our hobby, but Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne does. In an interview with Autocar, he made it clear that naturally aspirated V12 engines are not going anywhere. He said, “We will always offer a V12.” When the twin-turbo 488 GTB hit the market, almost all automotive publications said te V12 is on borrowed time. Everyone is going to small engines with turbos to save on fuel, but their effect on emissions is negligible.
Also Check Out: Ferrari’s New 488 Spider
That’s because high compression engines make less harmful pollutants than normal cars. Your compression ratio is how much the gasoline is squeezed before the spark plug fires. The more you squeeze, the more power it makes along with a cleaner exhaust. The Ford Model T had a ratio of 4.5, which made it able to run on anything from moonshine to paint thinner. Most production cars these days have 9.5 to 10.5 compression, but Ferrari’s latest achievement in the 812 Superfast is a compression ratio of 13.64. To give you a comparison, NASCAR engines are limited to 12.0. My goal of building an 11.5 compression street engine are now garbage thanks to Ferrari’s wild innovations. The fuel injectors are pressurized to 5,200 PSI, which allows Ferrari to deliver a precise spray just before ignition. You get what you pay for because this is race technology on the street. If you don’t want to wait for the 812, our dealers have great deals on F12 Berlinettas just in time for summer. Stay with us for all your Ferrari updates.
