Ferrari Introducing 818 Horsepower V12 for Limited Edition 812 Superfast
Beset by electric vehicle announcements and planned fueling restrictions, your author has scoured the internet for something you might actually enjoy from the realm of internal combustion. Instead, you’ll be settling for an update on the Ferrari 812 Superfast you couldn’t possibly afford.
The company has opted to make the model a little faster and will be issuing a V12 pushing 818 horsepower while also moving the redline up to 9,500 rpm. Scheduled for an official debut next month, the limited-edition 812 doesn’t have an official name but Ferrari has indicated it will be the meanest GT car in its lineup.
The next incarnation of the 812 is supposed to receive a new valve timing mechanism and upgraded exhaust system — along with some other changes helping to bring peak output past Dodge Demon territory that are being temporarily left to our imagination. Previous Superfast grand tourers offered 789 hp to the rear tires and a redline of 9,000 rpm, which was sufficient for 60 mph jaunts in the high 2-second range. While the powertrain adjustments should be sufficient in bringing down that time even further, it’s the amalgam of performance enhancements that should add up to making one really big difference.
For starters, Ferrari said the special Superfast would be getting the company’s Side Slip Control (SSC) traction and stability control system, which includes rear-wheel steering. The 812 will also see substantially more carbon fiber used to help reduce its overall weight (standard models tip the scales at 3,845 pounds without a driver).
Ferrari said customers can expect to find the material used liberally both inside the cabin and on the vehicle’s exterior. That includes new components designed to further sweeten aerodynamics. Though the most obvious change will be the single piece of aluminum that’s replacing the rear windshield. In addition to giving the car that racetrack look millionaires crave, it’s also supposed to enhance structural rigidity.
Production is likely to be extremely limited and the price tag will definitely eclipse the $330,000 one would normally expect to pay for the 812 Superfast. But Ferrari has assured us that it’s going to be worth it when the car is revealed on May 5th (8:30 a.m. ET).
[Images: Ferrari]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
More by Matt Posky
Comments
Join the conversation
3,850 lbs w/o driver A 1963 Impala weighs, 3,300 lbs 1973 Caprice 4,150 lbs. Ferrari you can do better, that's an obese car.
I wish I could swing a set of those seats