Following the recent announcement it had the most powerful brand in the world, according to the results of a leading study, Ferrari, the maker of some of the finest sports cars on the planet, has now revealed it’s just recorded its best financial result in its 66-year history.

Over the course of 2012, Ferrari managed to sell 7,318 cars, an increase of 4.5 percent from its previous record of 7,195 cars sold in 2011.

This saw revenues of $3.2 billion raked in, an increase of 8 percent on the previous year, resulting in a net profit of $325 million, an increase of 17.8 percent.

This profit level equated to a return on sales of around 14.4 percent, which Ferrari boasts is comparable with some of the top companies in the luxury sector.

Ferrari also revealed that it has more than $1.3 billion sitting in its coffers for further investment, which should see results improve even further in the coming year. In 2012, investments in R&D were roughly one third of this amount.

The U.S. was once again the biggest market for Ferrari, with sales in the country exceeding the 2,000-car mark for the first time. Total sales were 2,058 units, an increase of 14.6 percent. However, other key markets all experienced record sales levels too.

Sales in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, grew 4 percent to 784 cars, with just under 500 cars going to China. Sales in Germany grew 8.2 percent to 750 cars, while sales in the UK grew 20.4 percent to 673 cars.

Japan, a long-established Ferrari market, made a significant return to double-figure growth, with 302 cars being delivered there, an increase of 14.4 percent. The Middle East and Africa, meanwhile, bought up 556 Ferrari cars in 2012, a rise of 4.5 percent.

Results from Ferrari’s home market of Italy couldn’t have been more different: Ferrari ended the year with 318 cars delivered to dealerships in Italy, a 46 percent drop on the 2011 figure. Not only is the country in an economic depression, as we’ve seen, cars from automakers like Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini are now triggers for ongoing stings from Italy’s Guardia di Finanza tax police.

“We are all enormously proud of ending the year with these kinds of results despite the unfavorable economic backdrop in many European nations, and the distinctly hostile one in Italy,” Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said at yesterday’s financial results announcement. “The credit for this goes to the men and women in Ferrari, the strength of the brand, a very complete and highly innovative range, and our gradual expansion into automotive markets worldwide.”

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This article originally appeared at Motor Authority.