Ferrari is preparing for its IPO by announcing a 770-horsepower version of the F12
It just announced a 770-horsepower version of its F12 road car. The current F12 Berlinetta makes 730 horsepower so this "tdf" version - it stands for "Tour de France," a French endurance race - is a notable boost above that. The Berlinetta hit the road in 2012. It costs $330,000.
No word from Ferrari on F12tdf pricing, but we can assume it will be higher than the existing F12.
Only 799 F12tdf's will be built, paying "homage to the Tour de France, the legendary endurance road race that Ferrari dominated in the 1950s and '60s, particularly with the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta which won four consecutive editions," Ferrari said in a statement.
Road cars like the F12 are quite important for Ferrari as they provide a much greater level of versatility and practicality than the automaker's exotic mid-engine sports cars, like the 458 and the new 488 GTB.
When Ferrari official enters the public markets, investors will to a degree be looking for future growth. That will be hard to come by if Ferrari can't sell high-performance luxury cars to the globe's affluent consumers, many of who want to have room for passengers and luggage.
Ferrari parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is offering more than 17 million shares of Ferrari stock, as it gears up for its IPO. Ferrari will park on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RACE.
The value of the newly public Italian maker of exotic, sexy sports cars is expected to reach $9.8 billion. Earlier estimates suggested Ferrari's value could climb as high as $12.4 billion.
FCA and Ferrari have priced their offering at between $48 and $52 per share, potentially raising $894 million in the IPO to fund the expansion of FCA's stable of automotive brands.