Ferrari’s V12 Will Stay Naturally Aspirated For The Foreseeable

We’re teed up to watch a truly epic automotive rivalry unfold later this year, with both Ferrari and Aston Martin set to launch brand new, front-engined V12 grand tourers in the shape of the newly-revealed 12Cilindri and Aston’s upcoming DBS successor, highly likely to be called Vanquish.

It looks like the two will be incredibly close in performance terms, with the 12Cilindri making 820bhp and the new Aston set to play that with 824bhp. The big difference between the two engines, though, is how they make that power: Aston’s V12 will be a twin-turbocharged unit, while Ferrari’s engine is a mighty 6.5 litres, free of forced induction and able to rev all the way to 9500rpm.

The high-revving, naturally-aspirated V12 has been a core part of Ferrari’s products since the very beginning of the company, and, according to senior figures at Maranello, it’s going to stay that way for as long as possible.

At the 12Cilindri’s unveiling, Ferrari’s product development head Gianmaria Fulgenzi told Autocar emphatically that “V12 turbocharging is not on my mind. The V12 is naturally aspirated for many reasons… It is something that creates emotion, sound and acceleration from a low RPM to maximum RPM. That’s the product we wanted to deliver.”

Ferrari’s engineering boss, Enrico Galliera, spoke about the work that went into making the engine compliant with the EU’s upcoming Euro6e emissions regulations, the extent and cost of which he called “absolutely stunning.”

“It is possible to keep selling the car all over the world for the time being and then we will see what happens in the future,” he continued.

Where the company’s V12 will head next isn’t clear, but it looks as if turbocharging is very much a last resort for the engine configuration that continues to define Ferrari more than any other.