Could This Stretched Out Ferrari Roma Be A Mule For The Front-Engine V12 Successor To The 812?

Our spy photographers have come through with their latest shots of a Ferrari test mule driving around Maranello. The car could be a development prototype for the as-of-yet unconfirmed successor to the 812 Superfast.

Although the camouflaged car looks quite a bit like the Ferrari Roma, it’s also evident that the proportions have been stretched and flattened slightly and the wheels enlarged (suggesting they hide bigger brakes), likely to deal with the extra power of a bigger engine. All of which leads observers to infer that it will be powered by a V12 engine, something that’s also evidenced in a video of the test mule caught by YouTuber Varryx.

This test mule driving around Ferrari’s headquarters follows shortly after the automaker stopped taking orders for its current front-engine, V12-powered super GT, the 812 Superfast, GTS, and Competizione. These have all been bought up and the automaker will continue making them only until it completes all existing customer orders, making this the perfect time to work on the follow-up.

The suggestion is that the car is testing as a modified version of the entry-level Roma because that model sits on the automaker’s new scalable architecture for front-engine vehicles. Previous reports have suggested that the platform is capable of harboring V12 and hybrid drivetrains, which the 812’s chassis was not designed for.

Naturally, it’s impossible to tell how much power that supposed drivetrain will make at this juncture but the highest-performance 812, the Competizione, makes 819 hp (610 kW/830 PS). Although that’s a titanic figure, the Ferrari 296 GTB now makes the exact same amount of horsepower from a turbocharged, hybrid V6, so Ferrari may have to push its next V12 further still.

There’s a strong possibility that the engine that powers the supercar may be previewed in the Italian firm’s upcoming SUV, the Purosangue, which is rumored to get a V12 option. It’s also believed that Ferrari will offer a hybrid option on the 812’s successor.