Ferrari reveals its most powerful V12 road car of all time
Words: Matthew Hansen
You’d presume that a car with a name like ‘Superfast’ would already be a pinnacle model, never to be trumped by some kind of special edition. But in the case of Ferrari’s 812 Superfast, you’d be wrong.
Overnight the iconic Italian firm unveiled a new special edition model, called the Superfast Limited Edition. It cops a bunch of visual changes designed to make it more aggressive, like the additional vents front and rear and a reprofiled front and rear fascia, complete with a deeper splitter and diffuser combo.
One of the biggest changes is the removal of the rear window. In its place is a single sculpted piece of aluminium. Like everything else, it’s been rigorously tested for aerodynamic benefits, hence the ‘vortex generator’ louvers etched on each side.
It’s what’s underneath that has people talking, though. Ferrari has taken the standard naturally aspirated V12 engine, and boosted its power output to 818hp (610kW). For context, a Le Ferrari hypercar packs 789hp. Both get sniped by the SF90 Stradale hybrid, though, which offers 986hp across its combined powertrain.
Ferrari accomplished this hike in power by fitting a new valve timing mechanism and a new exhaust package (complete with square tips). The ongoing lack of a turbo means its still a V12 screamer; a fact underlined by Ferrari shifting redline to a diabolical 9500rpm.
Ferrari hasn’t unveiled the new model in full, so a complete list of Maranello’s tweaks haven’t been unveiled. However, it did drop a few more tasty tidbits about what it’s done to the Limited Edition.
These include adding “independent steering on all four wheels”, a curiously worded quote that points to some form of four-wheel steering set-up (giving the model added rotation agility). This is complemented by Ferrari’s inclusion of its latest Side Slip Control dynamics system.
As well as making its chassis more dynamic, Ferrari has also reportedly made it lighter. Without handing off specifics, the firm said it had upped its carbon fibre usage throughout the Limited Edition model, giving it less weight and possibly more stiffness.
How fast it actually goes remains a mystery, and will likely be revealed by Ferrari at the sportster’s official launch on May 5. But it’s fair to say it will leave the standard 812 in its dust.
