Originally published by Road & Track.

There are few things more exciting than a V-12 Ferrari on the boil. Thanks to the folks over at NM2255 on YouTube, we have a chance to witness a very pretty Ferrari 12Cilindri as it rips its way around the famed Autodromo Nazionale Monza. As you’ll discover in the clip, they don’t call this place the Temple of Speed for nothing.

The 12Cilindri is Ferrari’s latest take on the front-engined, V-12 flagship, serving as the replacement for the 812 Superfast. While the name is no less silly, the car is an enticing product. It retains the 819 hp 6.5-liter V-12 from the 812 Competizione and features oh-so-retro styling inspired by the 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" from 1968–73. It’s the first time Ferrari has truly leaned into its heritage designs for a series-production machine, and the results are striking. The dark panel between the lights is a little polarizing to modern eyes, but it pops nicely against the blue hue featured here. Overall, it is a much less busy design than its predecessor, without many visual cues to the aerodynamic elements at play.

Following a walkaround and a quick warm-up lap, we get to listen as the 12Cilindri pushes that V-12 all the way to its 9500 rpm redline. You should notice a large change to the exhaust note, now more muted by the particulate filters required to pass Euro emissions regulations. That said, the quieter exhaust allows the car’s induction note to shine, which is an underappreciated part of the Ferrari song. The aftermarket will surely solve the volume issue in short order for those who’ve grown accustomed to the V-12’s more vocal predecessors.

Despite Ferrari’s new Aspirated Torque Shaping (ATS) system, which acts essentially like a boost-by-gear feature for the naturally-aspirated motor, the rear tires appear to still be able to be overwhelmed by the torque on offer with ESC turned off. That’s even though peak torque isn’t available until 7250 rpm.

It may not be as brash or as aggressive to look at as the 812, but the 12Cilindri sure looks like a return to form for Ferrari. That’s something we can get behind, especially when a naturally-aspirated V-12 still dominates the experience.