► New Ferrari 812 Superfast
► It’s the upgraded F12 coupe
► Maranello’s brawniest V12 yet
The F12 has been given a thorough working over to create this – the new Ferrari 812 Superfast, the company’s most powerful V12 road car ever.
It’s essentially the mid-life upgrade for the Ferrari F12 range, replacing the Berlinetta coupe and TDF models and the car will be shown to the world at the 2017 Geneva motor show.
Its arrival coincides with the 70th anniversary of the first Ferrari V12. There’s even a new colour – Rosso Settanta – to mark the platinum birthday.
How fast is the Ferrari 812?
Mind-bogglingly quick, funnily enough. Ferrari quotes 0-62mph in 2.9sec and a top speed of ‘over 211mph.’ That’s what happens when you uprate a 6.5-litre V12 to produce a stonking 800hp, or 789bhp in imperial ponies.
That’s a pretty impressive specific output of 121bhp per litre, making this the most powerful Ferrari road car of all time.
Engineering upgrades include a new direct injection system operating at an ultra-high 350 bar, paired with variable geometry intake tracts mirroring the nat-asp set-up on F1 cars.
That lump is positioned up front, but behind the rear axle for what Maranello calls a front/mid-engined layout. It quotes a 47:53% front:rear weight distribution.
Specs, power outputs
Key numbers are thus:
- Engine 6496cc V12 arranged in 65deg vee
- Power 789bhp @ 8500rpm
- Torque 530lb ft @ 7000rpm
- Transmission Dual-clutch gearbox
- 0-62mph 2.9sec
- Top speed More than 211mph
- CO2 emissions 340g/km
- Fuel economy Still being homologated
- Dimensions (L/W/H) 4657/1971/1276mm
- Dry weight 1525kg
Will it be a top-end screamer? Ferrari assures us the V12 has a sonic boom to match the bloodline, yet 80% of that 530lb ft torque peak is available from a more accessible 3500rpm.
‘The engine’s power is underscored by a full, rich exhaust sound that exploits the acoustic clout delivered by its increased displacement,’ Maranello’s statement announces. CAR will be testing the new Ferrari 812 Superfast later in spring 2017, so stay tuned for our full review.
The cabin of the Superfast will be familiar to F12 owners, but there are a few perks: the sports seats are upgraded while the steering wheel controls and dials are tweaked too.
Ferrari 812 Superfast: a trick chassis and the Prancing Horse’s first electric power steering system
Yes, even the range-topping V12 coupe has given in to the trend for electric power steering. All the better to trim fuel consumption and – crucially – marry up with Ferrari’s increasingly electro-managed handling systems.
Side Slip Control v5.0 and Virtual Short Wheelbase v2.0 means that microchips are used more and more to tame all that power and torque, driven through the rear wheels.
More Geneva motor show 2017 news and world debuts