Ferrari’s F12tdf was the most potent version of the F12berlinetta and was designed to rekindle the memories of the successes achieved by Scuderia Ferrari in the infamous Tour de France road races in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is an exercise in perfecting the elements required to simply go faster: more grip, more power and less weight.

For the chassis, rear wheel steering was featured for the first time in a Ferrari as part of the Virtual Short Wheelbase system, employed partly to increase agility but also to tame the effect that the radically widened front track had upon the handling; without the system the new 285 section front tires (up from 255) supplied so much grip that it made the F12tdf overly pointy, even by racing car standards. With the system however, the increased grip at the front was kept in check by a rear end that intuitively knew how to best adapt itself for any driving scenario.

Further improvements to grip levels were achieved courtesy of an aerodynamic overhaul that delivered an 80 percent improvement to the downforce levels achieved by the standard F12berlinetta. Perhaps the most obvious element to this package is the trio of gills that sit over the rear haunches, used to expel lift-creating air from the rear wheel wells, whilst also giving a nod to the 250 GTO from which they are borrowed. Elsewhere a redesigned front splitter, wider skirts, a more aggressive diffuser and spoiler that is 60 mm longer and 30 mm higher also play their part.

Under the hood, the use of Formula 1 style mechanical tappets and variable intake geometry trumpets unlocked an extra 40 bhp, bringing the 6.3-liter V-12’s peak power to a mighty 770 bhp at 8,900 rpm. Additionally, Ferrari fitted the F12tdf with a bespoke version of its dual-clutch transmission with six-percent shorter gear ratios, 30 percent faster upshifts and 40 percent quicker downshifts.

Over 100 kg of weight savings were also achieved, via the employment of carbon fiber and fastidious use of lightweight materials for every element of the car from the narrow section five spoke wheels to the single piece carbon door cards; even the passenger glovebox and floormats were considered superfluous and therefore removed. The results speak for themselves; only the hypercar LaFerrari has ever lapped Fiorano faster and even with its near 1,000 bhp mid-engined hybrid powertrain, the difference between the two is less than 1 second.

The F12tdf presented here is a two-owner example, though first titled by its current owner. It was originally delivered in 2017 and presents in excellent condition having covered less than 950 miles from new. It benefits from a particularly elegant exterior specification of Argento Nürburgring with a Blu NART center stripe and Bianco flanking stripes, complimented by Giallo calipers and optional carbon fiber headlamp surrounds, fog light surrounds, and door sills. Under the current ownership, the F12 received a complete 3M clear wrap as well as additional skid plates below the front diffuser for added protection. On the inside, Alcantara has been optioned for the center console, dashboard, lower dashboard, headliner and seats, which are carbon racing bucket seats adorned with stitched Cavalino Rampante in Blu Medio. The sports exhaust option upgraded hifi and technology pack with front and rear facing cameras completes the excellent specification.