Ferrari F12 berlinetta

When Ferrari revealed the F12berlinetta at the 2012 Geneva motor show, it replaced the 599 GTB Fiorano and became the most powerful road car the company had put into series production. Under its long bonnet sat a 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12, mounted at the front and set low behind the front axle to keep the centre of gravity down. The engine delivered 740 PS, or 730 hp, at a screaming 8,250 rpm, and Ferrari quoted a top speed of over 340 km/h, roughly 211 mph.

That engine drew acclaim well beyond its raw output: it took the 2013 International Engine of the Year award, and Top Gear magazine named the F12berlinetta its 2012 Supercar of the Year. Ferrari wrapped the powertrain in aggressive aerodynamics, including an 'Aero Bridge' that channelled airflow from the bonnet out along the flanks for downforce, and clothed it in bodywork co-developed with Pininfarina that later earned a Compasso d'Oro industrial-design award in 2014.

Built from 2012 until 2017, the F12berlinetta sat near the end of an era. Ferrari's front-mounted naturally aspirated V12 would live on, but the marque's smaller engines had already turned to turbochargers and its halo cars to hybrid assistance. At a dry weight of 1,525 kg, the F12 stayed relatively lithe for its output, a front-engined berlinetta built for long, fast roads rather than the track, and was later sharpened into the limited, harder-edged F12tdf.