Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider – Tailored for the Select Few

AERODYNAMICS 

The Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider’s aerodynamics were mainly aimed at producing a sober, elegant car without compromising performance. The two signature elements of the tail section are the 25-mm nolder on the boot lid and the active aero. The former guarantees the recompression required to maintain the car’s aerodynamic efficiency when drag is minimal. At the same time, the flaps permit two different configurations: low drag (LD) and high downforce (HD), respectively. 

In the LD position, the flaps are flush with the bodywork so that the air runs over it uninterrupted, making it invisible to the flow. This configuration is retained until a speed of 60 km when downforce is not very relevant to the performance of the car, something that is also the case over 300 km/h. However, downforce plays a central role between these two speeds, and the spoilers’ movement depends on the car’s longitudinal and lateral acceleration. In the high-downforce configuration, the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider generates maximum downforce and guarantees that the car is aerodynamically balanced. 

An internal aerodynamic passage has been created in the trim ahead of the buttresses. Its purpose is to enable airflow towards the car’s rear, facilitate recompression behind the adjustable rear screen, and reduce the amount of air recirculating in the cockpit. The vertical profile on the outside of the aerodynamic passage correctly directs the air towards the rear, benefiting efficiency and flow stabilisation. 

The underbody is designed to maximise efficient vertical load generation by managing the airflow out of the central radiators. The planform and profile of the louvres in the central opening of the underbody minimise the impact of the hot air, which is not highly energised. Two louvres have been created in the low-pressure area behind the front wheels, reducing overpressure inside the engine compartment, increasing the radiating masses’ efficiency, lowering drag, and increasing downforce generation. 

As with the 812 Competizione A, three pairs of vortex generators optimised in the wind tunnel generate downforce on the front underbody. The front underbody also contributes to brake cooling by delivering a flow of lower-temperature air from the front splitter. 

The central underbody has been designed to correctly channel the air flows, retaining the available energy for the rear diffuser. To that end, the transmission tunnel opening was reduced to balance the amount of air flowing inside it. A raised section ahead of the rear wheel shields the tyres and deflects the flow towards the rear. 

The rear underbody sports a pair of vortex generators, which produce efficient downforce and channel the flows towards the extractor. In line with Ferrari’s philosophy of transferring innovations from the racing world to road-going sports cars, the engineers designed an air inlet near the outer edge of the rear fence to provide ventilation for the silencer’s electronics. 

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