Ferrari 812 Superfast: The V12’s Last Stand

The name “Superfast” might sound like a marketing adjective from the 1960s (because it is — a homage to the 500 Superfast), but in the case of the Ferrari 812, it is simply a factual description. When it launched in 2017 to replace the F12berlinetta, the 812 Superfast became the most powerful naturally aspirated production car ever made.

Every competitor Ferrari measured itself against in 2017 — the Lamborghini Aventador S, the Aston Martin DB11, the McLaren 720S — used turbochargers to reach comparable power outputs. The 812 Superfast used none. Its 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 achieved 800 horsepower through displacement and a 8,900-rpm redline, producing 108 horsepower per litre without any forced induction assistance.

Historical Context: A Name with Heritage

The “Superfast” name is not merely retro affectation. In Ferrari’s history, the Superamerica and Superfast designations from the late 1950s and early 1960s represented the absolute pinnacle of the brand’s front-engine GT lineup — cars built in tiny numbers for royalty, film stars, and industrialists who wanted the finest grand touring machine money could buy.

The 812 Superfast inherits that tradition. It is positioned as the flagship road car of the mainstream Ferrari lineup, sitting above the mid-engine berlinettas in prestige and exclusivity but below the limited-series hypercars in rarity. It is the car for someone who wants the definitive Ferrari road car experience — the V12, the front-engine GT format, the long hood, the power to cross a continent in a single day — without the constraints of a track-focused hypercar.

The F12berlinetta it replaced was already exceptional, setting lap records and earning near-universal critical praise. For the 812 to be the genuine successor rather than just an evolution, it needed to be fundamentally better in ways that mattered. Ferrari’s engineers delivered on that expectation in almost every dimension.

The Engine: F140 GA

The heart of the 812 is the F140 GA engine. It is an evolution of the F12’s engine, but 75% of the components are new.

Displacement: Increased from 6.3L to 6.5L via a longer stroke.
Injection: It was the first Ferrari V12 to use a 350-bar direct injection system. This ultra-high pressure system atomizes fuel so precisely that it prevents particulates, allowing the massive engine to meet strict Euro 6 emissions regulations without sacrificing power or sound.
Output: 800 PS (588 kW; 789 hp) at 8,500 rpm.
Torque: 718 Nm at 7,000 rpm (with 80% available from just 3,500 rpm).
Intake: Variable geometry intake tracts, derived from Formula 1, allow the engine to “change its shape” internally to breathe efficiently at both low and high rpms.

The result is an engine that feels bottomless. Unlike a turbo engine that runs out of breath near the redline, the 812 pulls harder the faster you spin it. The sound is a mechanical symphony, a complex layering of intake noise and exhaust wail that no speaker system can replicate.

The direct injection system is worth examining in depth. At 350 bar (approximately 5,000 psi), the fuel is atomized into such fine droplets that combustion is dramatically more complete than with conventional fuel injection. This improves thermal efficiency, reduces particulate emissions, and allows a higher compression ratio — in the 812, this ratio is 13.5:1, extraordinarily high for a naturally aspirated engine of this displacement. The combination of high compression and direct injection is part of what allows the 812 to produce 800 horsepower without forced induction.

Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0

Putting 800 horsepower through the rear wheels of a front-engine car is a recipe for disaster (or tire smoke). To make the 812 drivable, Ferrari employed what they call Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 (Passo Corto Virtuale).

This is a sophisticated four-wheel steering system.

Low Speed: The rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts. This effectively “shortens” the wheelbase, making the large GT car feel as agile as a hatchback in tight corners and hairpins.
High Speed: The rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts. This “lengthens” the wheelbase, providing stability during high-speed lane changes or long sweeping corners.

Combined with the electric power steering (a first for a Ferrari V12, replacing the old hydraulic system), the 812 feels unnervingly agile. You turn the wheel, and the nose darts into the apex instantly.

The four-wheel steering system is one of those technologies that sounds exotic in description but becomes completely transparent in use. You do not notice the rear wheels steering; you simply notice that the car responds with a sharpness and agility that seem impossible for a vehicle of its size. On a tight mountain road, the 812 feels like a car with a much shorter wheelbase. On a highway at high speed, it feels planted and utterly secure. The transition between these behaviors is seamless.

Aerodynamics: Passive and Active

The 812 looks aggressive, but the design is dictated by airflow management.

The Smile: The front intake is massive to cool the V12. Inside the grille, passive flaps open at high speeds solely by air pressure to stall the underbody diffuser and reduce drag.
The Flanks: The deep scallops in the doors are not just for style; they channel air away from the turbulent wheel wells and towards the rear fender intakes to create downforce.
The Rear: The rear diffuser is body-colored and features active flaps that can flip down to generate downforce or flatten out for top speed runs (340 km/h).

Ferrari’s aero engineers achieved a remarkable balance: the 812 generates 128 kg of downforce at 200 km/h while maintaining a drag coefficient low enough for its claimed 340 km/h top speed. Without active aerodynamics, this would be essentially impossible — you cannot optimize the same physical shape for both maximum downforce in a corner and minimum drag on a straight. The active rear flaps resolve this conflict by changing the car’s aerodynamic profile depending on what is needed.

The Driving Experience

Driving an 812 Superfast is an exercise in sensory overload.

Acceleration: It hits 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds. But the 0-200 km/h time of 7.9 seconds is where the V12 shines. It just keeps pulling.
Gearbox: The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts in milliseconds. In “Race” mode, the shifts are programmed to give a physical “kick” in the back to simulate the brutality of a sequential racing box.
The Fear Factor: With traction control off, the 812 is a handful. It will spin its rear tires in 3rd and 4th gear on dry pavement. It demands respect and skill to drive at the limit.

The fear factor is real and worth dwelling on. 800 naturally aspirated horsepower through the rear wheels of a long, heavy front-engine car is a combination that can get away from even experienced drivers if they are not paying attention. The 812’s traction control systems are sophisticated and effective, but they are there for a reason. Turn them off — as the “Race” Manettino setting invites you to do — and the car becomes a genuinely challenging partner. This is not a criticism; it is one of the 812’s greatest virtues. It demands respect and rewards skill.

Interior: Luxury Meets Speed

Unlike the mid-engine cars (F8/488) which are driver-centric, the 812 is a Grand Tourer. The interior is spacious and luxurious.

Materials: High-grade leather covers almost every surface. The seats are designed for long-distance comfort, though carbon bucket seats are optional.
Passenger Display: The optional passenger display lets your co-pilot act as a DJ or check the navigation, though mostly they will be staring at the speed readout in terror.
Boot Space: Surprisingly practical, with enough room for a week’s worth of luggage for two people.

The instrument panel, while digital, presents its information with restraint. There are no cartoon graphics or distracting displays. The rev counter is large and central. The speed is clear. Everything else is secondary. Ferrari understood that in a car this fast, the driver needs clarity, not entertainment.

812 GTS and Competizione

812 GTS: The convertible version. The first series-production front-engine V12 convertible from Ferrari in 50 years (since the Daytona Spider). It features a retractable hardtop that opens in 14 seconds.
812 Competizione: The hardcore track version. Revs to 9,500 rpm. 830 hp. Features a fully closed rear screen with vortex generators instead of glass and a carbon fiber blade across the hood.

The Competizione is in a class of its own. By pushing the F140 GA engine to 9,500 rpm — a figure that requires extensive internal modifications including titanium connecting rods, a lightened crankshaft, and new cylinder heads — Ferrari created what may be the most extreme naturally aspirated production engine ever built. The sound at 9,500 rpm is almost indescribable, and the performance places it alongside dedicated track cars from manufacturers who do nothing else.

Rivals and Legacy

The 812 Superfast arrived at a time when its closest rivals were the Lamborghini Aventador S and the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. The Lamborghini offered more visual drama and all-wheel drive, but the Ferrari’s four-wheel steering made it more genuinely agile. The Aston was more refined and perhaps more at home on long GT journeys, but less exciting dynamically.

The 812 Superfast marks the end of an era. Its successor, the 12Cilindri, continues the V12 lineage, but the 812 will always be remembered as the car that pushed the classic front-engine formula to its absolute limit before regulations started tightening the noose. It is the last uncompromised, non-hybrid, front-engine V12 Ferrari built in meaningful numbers — and that status alone ensures its place in automotive history.