# Iconic Ferrari Engines & Drivetrains | Otto Explains | AutoTronix **Section:** Otto Explains **Canonical:** https://autotronix.om/otto/ferrari-engines-drivetrains **Language:** English **Arabic version:** https://autotronix.om/ar/otto/ferrari-engines-drivetrains --- ## Short Answer Ferrari is best known for its V12 engines, from Gioachino Colombo’s 1.5-litre engine of 1947 to the 6.5-litre engine of today’s 12Cilindri. Alongside them came the flat 12-cylinder ‘boxer’ of the 365 GT4 BB and Testarossa, the V8 that became the core of the range from 1975, and the 120° V6 of the 296 GTB and F80. Its gearboxes moved from manual to the paddle-shifted F1 system in 1997 and to dual-clutch units from 2008, and since 2011 some models drive all four wheels. --- ## Why does the engine matter so much at Ferrari? Enzo Ferrari considered the engine the heart of a car. His first project, in 1945, was built around a 12-cylinder engine chosen for performance, and many Ferraris have been named after their engines ever since: the 125 of 1947 took its name from the 125 cc displacement of each cylinder. --- ## What was the Colombo V12? Designed by Gioachino Colombo, it started at 1.5 litres in the 125 S of 1947 and was supercharged for Ferrari’s first Formula 1 car. It was enlarged many times and powered Ferraris until 1989, by then at 4.9 litres, including the 250 GT SWB, the 250 GTO and the 365 GTB4 ‘Daytona’. --- ## Which V12 engines followed Colombo’s? Aurelio Lampredi, Colombo’s successor from 1950, designed larger V12 engines. One powered the Ferrari 375 to the team’s first Formula 1 win at Silverstone in 1951, and his engines won Ferrari’s first two world sports car championships, in 1953 and 1954, and powered grand tourers such as the 410 Superamerica. --- ## What is Ferrari’s flat 12-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine? In a flat 12-cylinder engine the two banks of six cylinders lie opposite each other at 180°, which makes the engine low and flat; Otto explains the layout in [engine designs explained](https://autotronix.om/otto/engine-designs-explained). Mauro Forghieri’s flat 12-cylinder engine powered Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars, including Niki Lauda’s title-winning cars, and the 312 T of 1975 paired it with a transverse gearbox, the T in its name. On the road it went into the 365 GT4 BB of 1971, with 4,400 cc and 380 hp, and the Testarossa of 1984, with four valves per cylinder and 390 hp. --- ## Where do Ferrari’s V6 engines come from? Ferrari’s first V6, a 65° engine of 1,500 cc, raced in the Dino 156 F2 of 1957; the engine carries the name of Enzo Ferrari’s son Dino, who died in 1956 while working on a vee engine. The 156 F1 of 1961 used a 120° V6 that sat lower in the chassis and won Ferrari its first Constructors’ title. On the road, the Dino 206 GT of 1967 had a Ferrari-designed V6 built by Fiat, mounted transversely in the middle of the car. In 2021 the 296 GTB brought a new 120° V6 with the turbochargers inside the vee, the first six-cylinder engine in a car with the Prancing Horse badge. --- ## How did the V8 become Ferrari’s main engine? The first production road car with a Ferrari V8 was the Dino 308 GT4 of 1973, followed by the 308 GTB. The mid-engined V8 then evolved step by step: the F355 used five valves per cylinder, the 360 Modena was the first all-aluminium Ferrari, the F430 had an all-new 4.3-litre engine of 490 cv, and the 458 Italia’s 4.5-litre, 570 cv engine was the last naturally aspirated one in the line. --- ## When did Ferrari start using turbochargers? After winning Formula 1 Constructors’ titles with turbo cars in 1982 and 1983, Ferrari built its first turbocharged road car, the 208 GTB Turbo of 1982, a 1,991 cc car designed around Italian tax rules for engines over 2.0 litres. The GTO of 1984 and the F40 of 1987 used twin-turbo V8 engines. Ferrari returned to turbocharging in 2014 with the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 of the California T, an engine that went on to evolve through the 488 Pista and the F8 Tributo. Otto explains how a turbocharger works in [turbocharger vs supercharger](https://autotronix.om/otto/turbocharger-vs-supercharger). --- ## What is the F154 V8? F154 is the name of the engine family behind the Amalfi’s twin-turbo V8: its 3,855 cc, 640 cv engine is the latest evolution of a family that has won several International Engine of the Year awards. The twin-turbo V8 of the 849 Testarossa, from the same award-winning family, produces 830 cv with the largest turbochargers ever fitted to a Ferrari production car. Ferrari credits the flat-plane crankshaft and equal-length exhaust headers of this engine for its distinctive sound. --- ## Does Ferrari still build naturally aspirated V12 engines? Yes. The 812 Superfast of 2017 had a 6.5-litre V12 of 800 cv with high-pressure direct injection. The engine that followed it, the F140HD in the 12Cilindri of 2024, produces 830 cv and revs to 9,500 rpm, using components from the 812 Competizione. The Purosangue uses a 725 cv V12 mounted behind the front axle, and the mid-engined Daytona SP3 has an 840 cv V12. --- ## How did Ferrari move to hybrid power? LaFerrari of 2013 combined an 800 hp V12 with a 120 kW electric motor for 963 hp. The SF90 Stradale of 2019 was Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid: a 780 cv 4.0-litre V8 with three electric motors, two of them on the front axle, for 1,000 cv. The 296 GTB pairs its 663 cv V6 with a 167 cv motor, and the 849 Testarossa, which replaced the SF90 Stradale, has 1,050 cv. The F80 of 2024 uses a 900 cv 3.0-litre V6, Ferrari’s highest output per litre, with electric turbochargers and 300 cv from its hybrid system. --- ## How has the Ferrari gearbox changed? The 400 of 1976 was the first Ferrari offered with an automatic gearbox. In 1989 Ferrari’s Formula 1 car introduced paddle shifting, and the 355 F1 of 1997 brought it to the road as an automated manual called F1; the 599 GTB Fiorano of 2006 cut shift times to 100 milliseconds. The California of 2008 brought Ferrari’s first dual-clutch gearbox, a seven-speed unit, and the SF90 Stradale and Roma of 2019 introduced an eight-speed one. Otto explains how a dual-clutch gearbox works in [what is a DSG transmission](https://autotronix.om/otto/dsg-transmission-explained). The last manual Ferrari was built in 2011, but the 12Cilindri Manuale of 2026 offers a gear lever and clutch pedal that work by wire. --- ## How does Ferrari’s four-wheel drive work? The FF of 2011 was the first four-wheel-drive Ferrari. Its patented 4RM system places a compact Power Transfer Unit ahead of the V12 to drive the front wheels, about 50% lighter than a conventional system; the GTC4Lusso added rear-wheel steering, and the Purosangue uses the same principle with its gearbox at the rear. In the SF90 Stradale and the 849 Testarossa, electric motors drive the front wheels instead: in the SF90 Stradale the front axle disconnects above 210 km/h, and the 849 Testarossa engages four-wheel drive on demand. The F430 had already brought Ferrari’s first electronic differential and the manettino switch for driving modes. --- ## How is the electric Luce driven? The Luce of 2026, which Ferrari describes as its first electric car, has four electric motors, one at each wheel, for 1,050 cv. Its 122 kWh battery was designed and built in Maranello and runs on an 800-volt system. --- ## Common Questions **Why are Ferrari engines named with numbers?** Early Ferraris used the displacement of one cylinder: the 125 and the 365 GTB4. Later models such as the 308 and the 296 combine total displacement with the number of cylinders. **What does the T in 312 T mean?** It refers to the transverse gearbox mounted ahead of the rear wheels of Ferrari’s 1975 Formula 1 car. **Was the Dino 206 GT’s engine built by Fiat?** Yes. Ferrari designed the V6, and Fiat built it for its own Dino models and for Ferrari. **What is an electric turbocharger?** On the F80, each turbocharger has an electric motor between the turbine and the compressor, which helps it respond instantly from low engine speeds. The F80 is the first Ferrari with this technology. --- ## Related Otto Explanations - Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Cars: What’s the Difference?: https://autotronix.om/otto/hybrid-vs-plug-in-hybrid-vs-electric --- ## Related Services - AutoTronix PERFORMANCE: https://autotronix.om/performance - Performance Vehicle Maintenance: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-maintenance - Performance Vehicle Mechanical Repairs: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-mechanical --- ## Book a Service WhatsApp: +968 9966 8600 https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=96899668600&type=phone_number&app_absent=0 Location: Mabellah Industrial, Street 7, Muscat — Saturday to Thursday, 9 AM to 9 PM