Background
In naming its new four-seater Gran Turismo after Carrozzeria Scaglietti, Ferrari acknowledged the immense contribution made by its Maranello neighbour and close collaborator over the preceding 50 years.
Founded by Sergio Scaglietti in 1951 and now a wholly owned subsidiary, the company has been responsible for manufacturing many of Ferrari's most memorable cars.
The 612's design brief called for a car capable of accommodating four adults in comfort - rather than being merely a '2+2' - without sacrificing any of the superlative driving dynamics excepted by dedicated Ferraristi.
Introduced in 2004, the result was the biggest Ferrari road car ever, yet one that weighed less than the smaller 456M. The 'secret' lay in the 612's lightweight aluminium chassis, a mixture of extrusions, castings and panels, which replaced the traditional sheet-steel monocoque.
In styling the 612, Pininfarina paid homage to one of its most famous past creations – the fabulous 375MM commissioned by renowned Italian film-maker Roberto Rossellini for his wife, Ingrid Bergman, and first seen at the Paris Salon in 1954 – the long nose and scalloped sides of which find echoes in the Scaglietti.
Not content with merely shedding weight as a means of boosting performance, the 612 featured an improved version of the 575M Maranello's 5,748cc 65-degree V12 engine producing 540bhp and 434lb/ft of torque.
The F1A transmission too had undergone significant improvement, incorporating extra synchronisation cones for swifter changes, while manual/automatic, first and reverse gears could now be selected using a gate on the centre console, rather than only by means of the steering-wheel paddles.
The 612 Scaglietti also featured active damping and adaptive suspension, its steering wheel-mounted controls enabling selection of either 'Normal' or 'Sport' modes, while the integrated Electronic Stability and Traction Control System - called CST - was a Ferrari first.
Lighter, more powerful and endowed with superior suspension and brakes, the 612 Scaglietti was around six seconds per lap quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than the 456M. Its top speed? 196mph or 315km/h.
From 2006, cars could be specified with the optional Handling Gran Turismo Sport - HGTS - or Handling Gran Turismo Competizione - HGTC - packages.
These mechanical and cosmetic enhancements included new shock absorber settings; faster gear-changes; a sports exhaust system; polished exhaust grilles; painted brake callipers; and - in the HGTC's case - carbon ceramic brakes.








