Ferrari F12 TRS: the one-off made for the 2014 Ferrari Cavalcade

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

23 June 2014 10:25

This Ferrari F12 TRS is a new one-off Ferrari F12 barchetta shown at the weekend's Ferrari Cavalcade, a parade of 90 prancing horses on the Italian island of Sicily. It just goes to show that for the wealthiest customers, even a £239,000 Ferrari coupe isn't good enough... 

An anonymous Ferrari owner commissioned the bespoke model, which is based on the F12 Berlinetta and said to be inspired by the 1957 250 Testa Rossa.

It's an 'extreme, two-seater, open-top sports barchetta,' says Maranello. Although at first glance recognisably an F12, much of the bodywork has changed and that wraparound blackened windscreen changes the character of the F12 considerably, lending it a real wedge like on a Nissan GT-R or (whisper it) a Saab 9-5.

Design chief Flavio Manzoni oversaw the design in-house at Ferrari Style Centre, rather than commission an outside agency to conceive the F12 TRS.

The mechanical package is left untouched from the F12 Berlinetta's. That's fine by us - Maranello quotes 0-62mph in 3.1sec and  0-124mph in 8.1sec. They're pretty mind-warping acceleration claims and the F12 feels brutally fast on the road anyway.

The 6.3-litre V12 in the F12 is an angry, charismatic unit, deploying a fulsome 730bhp and 509lb ft at 9000rpm. One nice detail on the F12 TRS is the addition of a peep hole on the bonnet, allowing the red-crackled cylinder heads to be seen - echoing the viewing panels on front-engined Ferraris of the 1950s.

The aerobridge - the panel gaps on the bonnet, channeling air as part of a sophisticated aero package - has been tweaked to run along the flanks of the car, while the T-shaped 'thong' look at the rear leads up into a radically different rear end.

Two speedster-hump fairings flow back from the pair of front seats, while the back lights are now recessed in a stylised rump, which includes a built-in spoiler.

Although we haven't seen full photographs inside the new Ferrari F12 TRS yet, the company says the cabin has been 'pared-back to the barest driving essentials, creating a sense of powerful, uncompromising sportiness with no concessions to superfluous comfort.

'Even some of the controls for the likes of the air conditioning, for instance, have been cut back, while the glove compartment, central air vents, mats, audio system, window controls and odds-and-ends holders have all been removed. Most of the materials used aboard, such as black matt carbon-fibre, leather and alcantara, are technical, while the same multi-layer red paint developed specifically for the exterior adorns the central tunnel and the door panels.'

The scarlet paint of the Ferrari F12 TRS is inspired by the traditional Rosso Corsa, but is actually a new colour using multiple layers and micalised paint technologies.

By Tim Pollard