The limited-edition 574kW Ferrari F12tdf has been revealed overnight with only 799 units expected to be built.

PAYING HOMAGE TO the Tour de France, the car race, not the bike race, which Ferrari “dominated” during the 1950s and ‘60s, with its 1956 250 GT Berlinetta famously securing four consecutive wins.

“It was a race that rewarded cars that combined maximum performance with the driveability and ease of use that enabled the competitors to race for hundreds of kilometres a day over fast, tortuous roads and on circuits,” Ferrari said in a statement.

Tweaks to the F12berlinetta mean the limited-run F12tdf promises improved acceleration and handling. An 8% increase in the ratio of the front tyres compared with the rears will give the car a more fluid, tail happy drive, according to Ferrari. “The car’s natural tendency to oversteer as a result of the change in tyre sizes is compensated for by the innovative rear-wheel steering system – known as the Virtual Short Wheelbase, which is integrated with the other vehicle dynamic control systems – that guarantees the steering wheel response times and turn-in of a competition car while increasing stability at high speed”.

The F12tdf won’t be a drift machine, though. Thanks to an increase in downforce by a staggering 87%, cornering speeds will be much higher than the standard car. And a redesign of the bodywork, interior, engine, transmission and running gear, along with the liberal use of carbon-fibre inside and out, has seen the thing shed 110kg.

This helps the F12tdf get to 100km/h in a blistering 2.9 seconds and 0-200km/h in just 7.9 seconds. And it stops just as well, too, thanks to the on-piece brake callipers from the LaFerrari which will see it go from 100km/h to 0km/h in just 30.5 metres and 200-0km/h in 121m.

In terms of the engine, maximum power has been boosted to 547kW while torque is also up to 705Nm from 690Nm, with 80% of torque available from 2500rpm through to 8900rpm. Ferrari said numerous modifications have been developed for this engine, starting with the use of race-inspired mechanical tappets and variable-geometry intake trumpets used on Formula 1 cars which help boost volumetric efficiency at high revs. The F12tdf is equipped with a specific version of the F1 DCT with 6% shorter gear ratios that delivers 30% faster upshifts and 40% faster downshifts.

There’s no word yet on pricing, but expect it to be high. Sigh.