The Mansory F12 Stallone is one of those unique cars that proves Kourosh Mansory’s German tuning company is at the fore-front of exotic car tuning. The car you see in the photos above was one of the very first Ferrari F12 Berlinetta’s released to customers. After a very short period of time in Mansory’s workshop, it came out again with a whole new look and just in time for the Geneva Motor Show 2013. We were gifted the unique opportunity to drive this very unique supercar!
Geneva is of course where our story starts. As is usual with the world’s biggest motor show, we turned up a whole day early to get a sneak peak at the cars and stories we would be covering for the previous day. We saw everything from Koenigsegg’s awesome Hundra to McLaren’s awesome P1, yet the Mansory stand stood surprisingly empty. We scratched our heads.
A few drinks later and we found ourselves stumbling through the halls at 01.30 am, hoping to get sneak a peak at a certain red hypercar which had been shrouded from the general public prior to the start of the main event. Still no Mansory, had they forgotten to turn up?
Our fears were allayed the following day when we discovered that, actually, the German company had been busy preparing their cars for the show, arriving as the last exhibitor at some ungodly hour. Whilst the wait had been long, what Mansory gave us more than made up for it! The Mansory F12 Stallone had been somewhat unexpected as customers where only just starting to take delivery!
Design
The Mansory F12 Stallone does of course have a cult following already. Mansory have used the Stallone name on the popular Mansory 599 Stallone before. It is only natural that it should return for the F12 Berlinetta. Mansory have fitted the F12 with a similar front bumper to that which can be found on the 599 Stallone.
The front gets a deep front spoiler with three large air vents. The nose is distinctive, helping you tell the Stallone a mile off. The bonnet is completely new, it gets a front air intake and exposed carbon fibre side air vents which feed air through carbon fibre ducts. The side skirts have also been replace with carbon fibre parts.
Moving to the rear, Mansory have fitted an entirely new rear bumper. It does away with much the distinct ovarian look Ferrari have instilled into the standard Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. The flatter rear gets three rear wheel air vents, a rear spoiler, a diffuser and a set of dual exhaust pipes mounted at each side.
Naturally, Mansory constructs its new design entirely from carbon fibre. Visually, the car looks to be of very high quality finish. As those who follow Mansory’s creations will come to realise, the Mansory F12 Stallone represents a restrained take on the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. It is a bodykit that applies Mansory’s philosophy in moderation as opposed to its other project, the most recent was of course displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show!
Aside from the larger pieces of trim, Mansory offers carbon fibre mirror housings with LED indicators, carbon fibre door handles, carbon fibre rear lamp covers; even the front mechanical air intakes have been replaced with carbon fibre parts.
Engine
The standard Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is already one of the fastest (if not the fastest) GT cars on the planet. From the factory it features a 6.3 litre V12 engine, one of the most powerful naturally aspirated engines available. The F12 Berlinetta’s engine is so good that it even won first place in the International Engine of the Year Awards 2013.
Naturally, this simply wasn’t good enough for Mansory. The Mansory F12 Stallone comes fitted with the same awesome powerplant, yet a simple ECU upgrade unleashes an extra 35 hp to a total peak output figure of 775 hp. Owners of the Stallone can opt for these upgrades plus a stainless steel sports muffler to give their car a distinctive character. Most will probably order the upgrades too as part of a complete package.
In the context of modern-day Mansory upgrades, the Stallone upgrades seem very restrained. The Mansory F12 La Revoluzione, the Stallone’s bigger brother, features new software for the central electronic control unit, a set of larger turbochargers, and a brand new exhaust system for an insane 1,200 hp quoted performance figure.
Despite the relatively relaxed approach demonstrated here, the Mansory F12 Stallone really does benefit from the upgrades. The exhaust is what provides the biggest improvements. The sound is wild and ever-so slightly intimidating. In the context of the company, you come to expect this, yet the sound is definitely what gives this car its own unique character. Its a sound Thor himself would be proud of!
Performance
Performance was never an issue with the standard Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. In stock form it sprints from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.1 seconds with a top speed in excess of 340 km/h (210 mph).
The Mansory Stallone should get there a little quicker thanks to the extra power, we suspect that the 100 km/h time is reduced to around 3.0 seconds. In the absence of any official performance data, we also suspect that the top speed is increased incrementally too, although we suspect no owner would ever test our suspicions!
Suspension
The ride remains unchanged from the standard Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. The Stallone gets a space frame chassis constructed from 12 different aluminium alloys. Weight is distributed 46% front and 54% rear, in keeping with the cars rear wheel drive layout.
The suspension dampers are state of the art magnetorheological units which use a magnetic fluid, controlled by an electromagnet. This allows the system computer to adjust the ride in order to suit the surroundings. Together with the electronic limited slip differential, the ride is extremely well controlled.
The steering wheel mounted Manettino dial provides the ability to control the ride. As is normal with modern Ferrari’s, the dial switches between varying levels of electronic control. The two most important settings are Sport and Race. The later is obviously the more aggressive. We wouldn’t recommend turning everything off unless you really know what you are doing!
As Ferrari’s CCM3 carbon ceramic brakes are as effective as is possible, Mansory have chosen to retain them. They are hidden by a set of light-weight alloy rims named 5 Triple Spokes for obvious reasons. The sizing is staggered with 21 inch units fitted to the front and 22 inch units at the rear, the rubber is a 255 width at the front with 355 width at the back.
Interior
Mansory always have a surprise up their sleeves when it comes to interiors. With the F12 it is no different. The whole interior has been re upholstered and it now features an attractive blend of carbon fibre, black leather, alcantara and blood red leather. Each surface appears to be fitted with a different texture.
The doors have a blend of red striping which penetrates smooth black leather. The centre pieces on each side is a quilted leather accent with carbon fibre door handles. The dash board is predominantly black leather with red accents and red stitching, the air vents stand particularly proud in contrast to the rest of the dash. Mansory have even gone to the effort of replacing the dashboard display surround with a blood red unit.
The Stallone features a custom seat finish with a mixture of red alcantara, red and black leather giving the interior a new look. The middle features an embroidered Mansory logo while the Stallone badge confirming the cars provenience sits in the centre on the lower parcel shelf.
Perhaps the worst element of the interior is the material that lines the central transmission tunnel. It is a loose textured leather covering, finished in red. It looks a little too loose for our tastes and, if it were our choice, we would definitely opt for something a little more orthodox.
It is fair to say that Mansory have one of the biggest upgrade programs for the interior of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. A new steering wheel is perhaps the biggest option available. It features a leather finish with lashings of carbon throughout. Behind the steering wheel, Mansory fit a set of carbon fibre paddle shifters. Elsewhere, Mansory have carbon fibre centre console trims, dial surrounds, transmission tunnel covers and sill plates. In fact, you get the sense that Mansory can create a full range of carbon fibre parts to replace almost any piece of interior trim.
An interior is always going to be subjective. We have seen some fantastic designs from Mansory before, while there are elements of this particular interior that don’t particularly work for us, the choices and finishings are endless. We really love the way that Mansory blend a huge variety of textures to create a truly unique interior space.
Driving Experience
Our driving experience of the Mansory F12 Stallone was limited to a quick blast through the German countryside. It was enough to demonstrate the power and sheer insanity of the package though. Ferrari’s F12 Berlinetta is a perfect starting point.
The first thing you notice, aside from the looks, is the roar from startup. It sounds unhinged! The amplification applied to the exhaust means that the even at idle, the car sounds noticeably more raspy. Under acceleration, the sound takes on an altogether more different character. At higher rev ranges it simply sounds like a Formula 1 car.
On the move, you start to notice the attention this car brings with it. The front is such a radical departure from what people naturally expect to see from an F12 Berlinetta. The whole arrangement takes on the look of a halloween mask. The headlights make the eyes, the new bumper creates a set of fangs and the carbon fibre air vents represent a menacing set of eyebrows.
The ride has not changed significantly from the standard F12 Berlinetta. Steering is quick and precise, something Ferrari work hard on with all their GT cars. It makes the F12 Berlinetta feel light and agile despite its heft. The typical Ferrari manettino settings provide a variety of different ride characteristics, we didn’t fully have time to test them all, it was the soundtrack that mattered!
Conclusions
While our time with the Mansory F12 Stallone was brief, it was enough to experience what Mansory can do with such a unique project car in such short amount of time. We’re not entirely sure how long Mansory engineers had this car prior to its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, yet it can’t have been long. To present such a comprehensive set of modifications in such a short amount of time is a true acheivement.
What the Mansory F12 Stallone really succeeds in is evident for most to see and hear. The biggest achievement is the sound. It is the defining feature of this car. Couple that with a truly character-changing new look and the result is a complete sensual overdose. There is no Jekyll and Hyde here, no split personality. The Mansory F12 Stallone is outrageous!
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