Ferrari has presented its latest F12 Berlinetta model to the U.S. market at Pebble Beach. It is the most powerful road car that Ferrari has ever built, with 731-hp and 509 lb-ft of torque produced by its 6.3-liter V12 engine. Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa got the chance to talk about the automaker’s future too. He concentrated on the fact that Ferrari doesn’t plan on shifting to carbonfiber in the near future. Other exotic automakers have began to use a lot of carbonfiber on their products just like Lamborghini and McLaren but Ferrari thinks that it’s still too early to include the material extensively in its cars. Felisa said that carbonfiber technology won’t be where the company wants it to be until 2020. He said that the current resins being utilized are too heavy and don’t have the mechanical features that Ferrari needs. Twelve various aluminium forms are used by the F12 Berlinetta in its chassis and body in order to attain a lighter and stiffer body than the 599. Another issue that is preventing Ferrari from making the plunge on using carbonfiber in a major way is the production time required since the automaker rolls out cars in higher volume than its key rivals. [source: AutoGuide]
Ferrari will stick with aluminum, not carbon fiber like everyone else
by Andrew Christian, Email, 22 Aug, 2012
Ferrari F12berlinetta
