There are people who like V12 models. There are people who love V12 models. Then there’s Steven Victor.
“Oh yeah man, it’s definitely an obsession,” he admits, a wide, genuine smile spreading across his expressive, youthful face that belies his forty-two years.
Without even peeking inside his “pretty full garage” that currently houses five, “no, wait a minute, six V12s,” it’s clear Victor’s passion for these cars runs deep. His home-office in New York state is designed around a traditional Japanese garden, but the new place he’s having built will be designed around his cars. “The idea is that from each room you’ll look out onto a car. They’ll be part of the house,” he enthuses.
READ MORE: 2025 Bentley Continental GT to Feature Ultra Performance Hybrid Power
For Steven Victor, his love of Ferrari is profound. Anyone doubting his level of obsession need only ask him the name of his four-month-old baby boy: V XII. Yes, Roman numerals that spell out V12.
Even for a dad as successful as Victor, a producer, talent finder, and promoter of top names in hip hop and rap—genres known for their unorthodox monikers—this is quite the stretch. “At home, I just call him ‘V’,” says Victor, flashing another of those winning smiles. He ‘blames’ Pharrell.
That is Pharrell Williams, the famous rapper and luxury brand Creative. “He’s a very good friend of mine,” explains Victor. “It was Pharrell who suggested the ‘V’, because the baby is my fifth child. Then my wife wanted to add the ‘twelve’, because she knows about my obsession with V12 automobiles.”
Although he was “infatuated with cars, especially Ferraris,” even as a child, it wasn’t until 2016 that the music industry executive—who grew up the son of struggling Haitian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York—allowed himself to realize those boyhood dreams.
“My first Ferrari was a V8, the 488, not the Spider, the Coupé,” he recalls. His interest in V12s is another thing for which he credits Pharrell Williams. “Yeah, he’s definitely responsible for some of it,” laughs Victor. “Pharrell had a black Enzo and he invited me over for a ride in it.”
That ride sparked Victor’s V12 obsession. Courteously, he pauses to earnestly add: “Pharrell’s also responsible for the success I’ve had in my career.”
But what exactly makes V12s so special? He begins, “Every time I drive one, it’s like driving it for the first time and the feeling I get is…” He tails off, searching for the right words. “It’s like hearing a hit record for the first time,” he says. “It’s one of the best feelings, for me at least, in the world.”
So, is it just the sound of the engine? He replies, “I definitely go by sound. But the feeling… the combination of the sound and the feeling is…” His voice trails off again. He actually gulps, looks around, then adds, “It’s everything.”
Is it similar to when artists feel things coming together in the recording studio? “Yeah, exactly!” he exclaims, seizing the suggestion. “All the elements put together. Yeah, very very emotional. It’s like a total body experience, if you will.”
Sounds like a good title for a song…
READ MORE: BMW and DeepDrive to Field-Test Revolutionary Dual Rotor Electric Motor
Subscribe today for the freshest car news delivered to your inbox
