In an earnings call today, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna confirmed the brand’s first SUV will have naturally aspirated V-12 power.
Ferrari
Ferrari’s first SUV, dubbed the Purosangue—Italian for purebred—will arrive later this year. And while making an SUV seems more than a little bit sacrilegious for the brand, it will at least have one traditional Ferrari element. In an earnings call Wednesday, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna confirmed that the Purosangue will get a naturally aspirated V-12. The company also put out a teaser video showing some elements of the engine.
“The Purosangue will be a naturally aspirated V-12, our iconic model,” Vigna said. “We have been testing different options, but then, I think it was clear that to celebrate the bloodline, the performance, innovation, experience, the V-12 and the experience and product performance it is able to deliver, is the right solution to push to the market. “
The Purosangue’s rivals—the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, and Aston Martin DBX—all rely on twin-turbo V-8 power. Currently, the only SUV on the market with a V-12 is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and that 6.75-liter twin-turbo is very different than Ferrari’s screaming N/A V-12.
The V-12 from the 812 Competitizone.
Ferrari
A post on the Ferrari magazine website says this is a “new” V-12, though the intake plenum shown on the video teaser looks a lot like that of the 812 Competizione, at least to this reporter’s eyes. Former Ferrari CTO Michael Leiters told Road & Track last year the company’s V-12 would remain naturally aspirated and without hybrid assistance.
The Purosangue is set to be the successor to the FF and GTC4Lusso, both of which paired a V-12 with a novel all-wheel-drive system. Instead of using a center differential, Ferrari drove a two-speed gearbox off the front of the engine to get power to the front axle. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Purosangue use an evolution of this system. In the FF and Lusso, the V-12 was in a lower state of tune than in the F12 and 812, though given the Lusso had 680 hp, expect a similarly ample output in the Purosangue.
Ferrari says the Purosangue will begin production this year, with deliveries set for 2023.
Keyword: The Ferrari Purosangue SUV Will Have a V-12