A $4 Million Italian Dream Machine
The Ferrari F12 TRS is not just a car; it's a testament to what happens when Ferrari's Special Projects program gets a little mad and a wealthy collector decides he wants something truly unique. Based on the F12berlinetta platform, it was unveiled in June 2014 during the Ferrari Cavalcade in Sicily, to the stunned faces of people who realized they were looking at something that costs more than a house—an entire block of them, actually. Now, the story goes that Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari's head of design, had a bit of a brainwave one night—possibly after a glass or two of fine Italian wine. He thought, why not pay homage to the legendary 1957 250 Testa Rossa? And why not do it in the most flamboyant way possible? And thus, the F12 TRS was born, with all its aggressive lines and that drop-dead gorgeous open-top design. The windscreen is low and wraps around the front like it’s trying to hold on for dear life. It forms a long, dark band of glass that contrasts against the rest of the body, giving it the kind of sinister look you’d expect from a car designed to both seduce and terrify.
The engineering behind the F12 TRS is another story entirely. Ferrari’s engineers are a bit like magicians who are never satisfied with simply pulling rabbits out of hats—they have to pull lions. The 6.3-liter V12 engine was borrowed from the F12berlinetta, but 'borrowed' here means they made sure it still snarled at the press of the throttle. It produces 740 horsepower and 690 Nm of torque, which means it’ll do 0 to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and 0 to 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds. The kind of performance that makes you wonder if your heart can keep up.
Apparently, when Mr. Sam Li, the client who commissioned these two pieces of pure artistry, saw the initial sketches, he laughed and said, "Can you make it more ridiculous?" The engineers responded, as any Ferrari engineer would, by adding even more bespoke touches, like the absurd window in the hood that lets you peer at the engine's red cylinder heads. It's the sort of feature that, if you have to ask why it’s there, you’ve already missed the point. One of the engineers reportedly said, "It's so people can see what makes Ferraris scream." And scream it does.
The decision to make only two units of this beast wasn't just about exclusivity; it was about ensuring that each of them remained legendary, a myth in the automotive world. Sam Li, by the way, has a reputation for owning cars that most of us can only dream about. His collection is like a museum where every piece is priceless, and the F12 TRS fits in perfectly at a cool USD 4.2 million. It’s a car designed for someone who doesn't just want to turn heads—he wants to break necks.
But it's the little stories behind the scenes that make the F12 TRS even more fascinating. One of the test drivers, a certain stubborn Italian gentleman who’s been around since the Schumacher days, insisted on driving the prototype without a helmet to get a 'feel of the wind.' He reportedly came back with his hair in complete disarray but with a grin that said, "This is what driving a Ferrari is all about." The entire design team gathered around to hear his feedback, with Flavio nervously clutching his notepad, only for the driver to declare, "Perfecto!" and walk off, leaving the rest of the team cheering.
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Ferrari F12 TRS Roadster