50 DYNAMIC LEGENDS
›While our award-winning SF90 Stradale (see p28) is about
all-out performance, a decade ago Ferrari buyers could
enjoy a rather different Ferrari experience, a 2+2 GT
that could whisk them across continents in comfort, with V12
power to entertain when needed. The 612 Scaglietti, which ran
from 2004 to 2010, looked quite different from more modern
Ferraris, with a sense of having been styled using clay rather
than computer. There was even a little romance in the lines,
with styling elements such as the side scallops and headlights
recalling the coach-built 375 MM that director Roberto
Rossellini commissioned for his wife, Ingrid Bergman, in 1954.
The 612 could even be described as discreet – in Ferrari
terms at least – and looked more comfortable fi nished in a
muted gold paint than a vibrant rosso corsa, However, that
relatively unassuming bodywork was highly engineered,
comprising aluminium, welded to tubular space-frame chassis,
which together with a composite bonnet, helped achieve
a kerb weight of 1,850kg (4,078.6 lbs).
The chassis was developed in conjunction with Alcoa and
built from a mixture of castings, straight extrusions, and sheet
aluminium for reinforcement. Differential heat treatment of
the castings conferred strength and stiffness to the loadbearing
sections, while still retaining ductility in the crush
paths for optimal impact energy absorption. Precise suspension
geometry and maximum stability was achieved in the highest
load-bearing areas by using CNC machining for the suspension
and steering mounting points.
The 4,902mm (193.0in) length of the car meant it could
accommodate four passengers in seated comfort, with ride
quality ensured by the adaptive suspension system, which
was based on ZF Sachs’ CDC variable dampers, with steel coils.
These aluminium dampers were used previously in the sportier
360 Modena, but for the 612 an integrated chassis control
network linked them with the Bosch 5.7 ABS/ASR system,
the Motronic engine
management system,
and the F1A controller
for the optional sixspeed
automated
The 612 Scaglietti was
a true four-seater. Its
4,902mm (193.0in)
length was some 172mm
longer than the 456
model it succeeded,
enabling more legroom
manual gearbox.
The ZF Sachs vertical body accelerometers were fi xed to the
upper mounts of both front dampers, the right rear damper
and the front wheel hubs. Communication between the damper
system and the other controllers was via a CANbus network.
Proportional valves in the CDC units varied the damping
forces between a minimum and a maximum value, working
across an infi nitely variable range. The response rates for the
controller software were in the range of 25Hz.
On a less high-tech note, conventional roll bars, of 22mm
diameter front and rear, were also fi tted. The suspension was
an unequal-length double wishbone layout, with the forged
aluminium arms mounted to their subframes by aluminium
and rubber rose joints. Anti-dive and anti-squat geometry was
also adopted, and the subframes were formed from four large
castings that also acted as joints for the all-alloy chassis.
The breadth of capability required of a Ferrari GT meant
that the steering required careful consideration. With this
in mind, the team chose a rack-and-pinion system featuring
speed-sensitive electro-hydraulic power assistance, linked
to the uprights via rose joints.
However, the driver was cossetted and insulated from
much of the mechanical setup: what they cared about and
experienced was a classic Ferrari GT layout of mid-front
engine, rear transmission and rear drive, for a 46/54 front/rear
weight distribution. With a 5.7-litre, 533hp V12 at its heart,
the 612 Scaglietti was good for 0-100km/h (62mph) in four
seconds and a top speed of 320km/h (199mph) – what
better way to cross continents and arrive in style?
Scaglietti
612 Ferrari INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Altair Engineering ..........................Inside Back Cover
BorgWarner ......................................................... 9
BWI Group ..........................................................17
Claytex .............................................................. 25
Dewetron .......................................................... 33
DriV Ride Performance ...................Outside Back Cover
VehicleDynamicsInternational.com • May/June 2020 Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International ... 22
Engineering Design Show ......................................15
GeneSys Elektronik ............................................. 30
Kistler Instrumente ..............................................37
Mechanical Simulation Corporation ........................41
Micro-Epsilon ..................................................... 33
MTS ............................................................. 18+19
MVO ............................................. Inside Front Cover
Racelogic........................................................... 10
Siemens ............................................................ 27
Vehicle Dynamics International .........................13, 41
Vision Research ...................................................37
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