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Not every trademark is a spoiler, but Ferrari's recent filings read like a deliberate tease. While critics still argue over the styling of its first series-production electric model, the Prancing Horse quietly submitted ten new trademarks to Italy's UIBM, suggesting a busy roadmap behind the scenes.
CarBuzz first flagged the filings, and the names are as evocative as they are precise. At the center of the chatter is the F80, now paired with high-performance badges such as F80XX and FXX80. Short name, long pedigree. The XX program has been Ferrari's laboratory for extreme, track-focused engineering since the mid-2000s. It began with the Enzo-derived FXX, evolved through 599XX and then the FXX-K, and even veered into road-legal theatrics with the SF90 XX. Those three letters usually mean one thing: no apologies, full focus on performance.
Curiously, Ferraris office also lists F80 Targa and F80 Roadster. Think about that for a moment. A targa would stiffen the chassis where it matters and sharpen cornering. A roadster implies open-air drama, a removable roof and complex folding mechanisms. Either way, Ferrari appears to be planning multiple personalities for the F80, from hardcore track toy to sun-drenched grand tourer.
Old names, new meaning
Then there is 12Cilindri, the name that whispers of a V12 replacing the 812. Ferrari registered two evocative tags for that car: MM and GTO. MM, shorthand for Mille Miglia, could point to a heritage-minded special, a car dressed with Tailor Made options and a wink to Italy's legendary open-road endurance race. Picture lightweight materials, period-inspired details and that intoxicating V12 soundtrack, tuned for long, dramatic runs.
GTO carries a different promise. Ferrari has only used that badge sparingly and with great reverence: the 250 GTO of the 1960s, the 288 GTO of the 1980s, and the modern-era 599 GTO. Each was a statement. If a 12Cilindri GTO arrives, expect a more hardcore, track-biased V12 that borrows lessons from Ferrari's XX programs and distills them into a road-legal, uncompromising supercar.
There is another angle: Icona-style exclusives. Remember the Monza SP1 and SP2, speedsters that took the 812 Superfast platform and stripped it for pure emotion? A Mille Miglia or MM variant of the 12Cilindri could slot into that rarefied space, blending heritage cues with modern engineering.
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Ferrari's filings did not stop at big-name fireworks. The company also reserved names tied to its mid-engine V8 lineup: 296 Challenge Stradale, 296 CS, and 296 Challenge Evo. The Challenge Stradale recipe dates back to the 360 era, a formula for lighter, sharper, more focused V8 specials. Later variations used labels such as Scuderia, Speciale, and Pista, but the intent is familiar: a road car that borrows heavily from Ferrari's one-make and track racing programs.
296 CS likely reads as shorthand for Challenge Stradale, and 296 Challenge Evo seems to point directly at the race car evolution used in Ferrari's single-make series. Translation: an updated racing platform, and possibly a roadgoing sibling with extra bite, could arrive before the decade is out.
So what does it all mean? Names do not always equal products, but they are a language. And Ferrari's latest vocabulary suggests parallel tracks: high-performance experimentals, nostalgic tributes, and refreshed race hardware. Expect drama. Expect exclusivity. Expect a brand that keeps betting heavily on combustion and spectacle even as the industry shifts under its wheels.
Answers will come slowly. For now, the filings are a reminder that while the headlines fuss over design controversies, Maranello is quietly sketching the next chapters.
Source: autoevolution
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