Ferrari has invested heavily in making its V12 compliant with new emissions regulations without the need for turbocharging – and the brand is committed to keeping its largest engine breathing freely well into the future.

The Ferrari 12Cilindri has been revealed as the firm's new GT flagship, using an evolved version of the 6.5-litre V12 that featured in its 812 Superfast predecessor. Bosses say making the engine compliant with incoming Euro6e emissions legislation was a significant – and costly – part of the new car's development process, and as a result it does not need to force induction to cut emissions.

"It is possible to keep selling the car all over the world for the time being and then we will see what happens in the future," said chief commercial officer Enrico Galliera. 

“The work that has been done on this engine to remain performant and compliant with the regulation is absolutely stunning, which is probably one of the reasons why there are not many manufacturers that keep investing in the V12 engine.”

And when asked by Autocar whether a turbocharged V12 would be better than not having a V12 at all, if the firm was ultimately forced to make that decision, product development boss Gianmaria Fulgenzi was candid.

“I’ll try to be polite: V12 turbocharging is not in my mind,” he said.

“The V12 is a naturally aspirated engine for many reasons. We use turbochargers when we reduce the displacement of the engine. Of course, we need the same power.

“The V12 is natural. It is something that creates emotion, sound and acceleration from a low RPM to maximum RPM. That’s the product we wanted to deliver."

Ferrari is now the only car maker with a naturally aspirated, non-hybridised V12 in series production; Aston Martin's equivalent engine breathes through a pair of turbochargers, and Lamborghini's is now only available as part of a hybrid drivetrain. Gordon Murray's new T50 hypercar uses an atmo V12, but is limited to just 100 units. 

Ferrari has not yet given any clues to future V12 models beyond the 12Cilindri, but it is possible the upgraded engine will be introduced in the closely related Purosangue in due course.