Is the iconic Ferrari GTO making a comeback? This secret test car suggests it might

The Ferrari 12 Cilindri has already attracted plenty of attention thanks to the three-pedal Manuale, but Maranello is taking the V12 super GT to another level with its most focused variant yet. Seen here testing in Italy, this new model is quite literally under wraps for now, but we expect to see it revealed in full at some stage in 2027. Until then, here’s what we know.

Surfacing just over two years since the initial introduction of the 12 Cilindri, itself a replacement for the 812 Superfast, a sighting of this test mule suggests we’re not far from seeing Maranello’s super GT get its biggest upgrade yet. Exactly which nameplate it will wear is unknown, but we do know that it will follow in the footsteps of the F12 tdf and 812 Competizione with more focus on both the chassis and the powertrain.

> New Ferrari 12 Cilindri Manuale brings back the manual gearbox (kind of)

It’s not as though the 12 Cilindri needed much more performance as it is, with the standard car borrowing know-how from the hardcore 812 Competizione to give it the exact same 819bhp power output. The latest iteration of Ferrari’s ubiquitous F140 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 is what lies behind it all, and while it seems as though more output shouldn’t be possible in this new variant, Ferrari’s managed it every single time until now…

Tweaks to design, aerodynamics and chassis setup are all to be expected, and while we’ll have to wait until its reveal to see how it’s approached the latter, we can already see a few external changes in these images. At the front, there’s a Daytona-esque headlight design which will no doubt lead into the same full-width black bar as the standard car, but significant canards either side of the lower intake suggest a significant increase in focus.

There are more changes at the rear, with the exhaust tips now disguised, likely suggesting a change from the current trapezoidal design. Most notable of all, though, is the introduction of a huge, angular ducktail spoiler for improved downforce – previous prototypes have also featured active aero elements at the rear, which could be used in conjunction with this element for varying levels of downforce depending on the configuration and scenario.

One of the biggest questions of all is what badge Ferrari will give this car. Given that the marque has cycled back to previous nameplates with the use of ‘Speciale’ in the 296, perhaps we’re about to see GTO make a return for the first time since the 599 GTO of 2010. Time will tell…