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| Autos |
Ferrari’s Feat
Steven Flax
07/01/2004
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True to founder Enzo Ferrari’s belief in promoting new
developments, the 612 Scaglietti offers a host of new features. It is the first
Ferrari 12-cylinder car to have its body and chassis sculpted entirely of
aluminum. The car is named in honor of Sergio Scaglietti, the coachbuilder from
Modena who is famous for his ability to fabricate with aluminum, which is more
difficult to shape than steel. The exceptional aerodynamics of the light,
extremely rigid structure, designed by Pininfarina, shows the finesse that comes
from the 3,500 hours of development, nearly half of which were spent in
wind-
tunnel testing.
 | | THE SCALLOPED sides of the 612 are reminiscent of a Ferrari design from 1954. |
Another major innovation is the placement of the
car’s drivetrain components. The Scaglietti’s 5.75-liter, normally aspirated,
V-12, front-mounted engine sits surprisingly far behind the front axle.
Ferrari’s goal is to dramatically lower the center of gravity and move it
rearward. Because the engine rests so far toward the aft, Ferrari adopted a
transaxle architecture that shifts the gearbox to the back along with the
differential. As a result, the 612 Scaglietti has a 46:54 rear-weight bias.
According to Shaffer, this slight bias, while admittedly unusual, is near
ideal for a front-engine coupe; in fact, it emulates the weight bias in Ferrari
Formula 1 racing cars. “The ideal weight distribution is not 50:50,” says
Shaffer. “The 612 is front-engined, but akin to a mid-engine car. You get better
handling and traction benefits with more weight over the rear wheels.”
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