12 in front and power through the back, just the way Enzo Ferrari would have wanted it.
The F12berlinetta is the latest in a long and illustrious bloodline of V12 Ferraris that includes the 365 GTB/4 'Daytona', Testarossa, 550 Maranello and 599 GTB.
Yet the big deal in today's context is that the F12 is now the most powerful Ferrari that you can buy without a special invitation .
Not that you'll avoid putting that “good things come to those who wait” phrase to good use, as local distributor Viglietti Motors says that there is already a two-year waiting list.
The F12's naturally aspirated, 6262cc direction injection V12 pushes 544kW at 8250rpm, with the redline being at 8700rpm, and 80 percent of its 690Nm maximum torque is available at 2500rpm. It is also said to be 30 percent more efficient than its predecessor, though its 15.0 l/100km combined consumption figure hardly makes it a miser.
REACHES 200 IN 8.5 SECONDS
Abandon all fuel-saving ambitions and the F12 will prance from 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds and it'll reach the 200km/h mark by the time you've counted 8.5 seconds.
As you'd expect, this Ferrari is as much about control as it is about performance and to that end it boasts a perfect weight distribution, with 54 percent over the rear axle, and an evolved magnetorheological suspension system.
This works in tandem with the latest vehicle control systems, these being E-diff, ESC, F1-Trac and high-performance ABS. Ferrari's latest carbon-ceramic braking system is in place to bring this prancing horse to a halt.
The proof of its chassis wizardry, engine technology and low kerb weight of 1525kg (thanks to a completely new spaceframe chassis and bodyshell) is its Fiorano circuit lap time of just 1m23s.
Our Star Motoring colleague Denis Droppa gave it a whirl around that very track last year. Click here to read his impressions.
In its most basic form the F12berlinetta will set you back R4.85-million, but expect the price to creep past the five bar mark once you start playing with the personalisation options.