Report: Ferrari V-12 Engines to Remain N/A for Foreseeable Future

The days of high-revving, sonorous naturally aspirated engines are over, or at least that’s what many believe. Due to the current crop of fuel and emissions regulations, the world’s automakers are downsizing their respective engine fleets and adding sound-muffling turbochargers to just about everything. That isn’t the case for Ferrari, however, as it vows to stand stalwart against the winds of change and won’t go quietly into that good night any time soon.

Autocar reports that Sergio Marchionne, Ferrari and FCA’s boss, has said, “[Ferrari] will always offer a V-12. Our head of engine programs told me it would be absolutely nuts to put a turbocharger on the V-12, so the answer is no.” As to how Ferrari will meet strict guidelines and regulations in the future, Marchionne offered that further down the line the company’s V-12s would adopt hybrid systems similar to the LaFerrari’s setup.

But emissions and fuel consumption regulations aren’t what Ferrari’s looking to accomplish. “The objective of having hybrid and electrics in cars like this is not the traditional objective that most people would have. We’re not trying to make two targets. We’re really trying to improve the performance on the track,” the U.K. site also reports.

Aiding in Ferrari’s quest to keep naturally aspirated V-12s in the company’s fleet is the recent decision and execution that cut ties with its former parent company, Fiat Chrysler. Because it no longer is part of the massive conglomerate, subject to the rules and regulations that are put on the whole of the company, Ferrari is once again considered a low-volume manufacturer, thereby giving the company a bit more wiggle room.

Thankfully, Ferrari doesn’t have to worry for the next four years as the current V-12 found in the 812 Superfast meets all the necessary requirements. However, with Europe’s 2021 Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle legislation looming, according to Ferrari technical chief Michael Leiters, this will be the impetus that sees the prancing horse brand put its hybrid drivetrain into a more mass-market vehicle than its hyper-exclusive LaFerrari.

Leiters told Autocar, “we don’t want to stop production [of the V-12] and the small manufacturers’ agreement allows us to continue [building the V-12].”

Let us hope that those rules don’t change anytime soon, because in a world where the turbocharger has become the new king, it’s engines like Ferrari’s V-12 that still send shivers down our spine.

Source: Autocar

 

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