2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast: Letting that V12 sing
The Ferrari 812 Superfast may not have the most seductive name, but that naturally aspirated V12 has quite the story to tell when it speaks for itself.
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You can never have too much time with a car like the Ferrari 812 Superfast, and more often than not you get way too little. That was the first-world problem that befell the Carfection team on a recent visit to Maranello, Italy, to drive Ferrari's latest contribution to its library of drool-worthy supercars.
The roar of a naturally aspirated Ferrari V12 married to the seductive combination of front-engine and rear-wheel-drive has been the dream of petrolheads for some time. A string of desirable cars from the Ferrari 550 through modern classics such as the 599 and F12 Berlinetta have brought us to what might become the last in this particular line of prancing horses.
The appallingly named Superfast is a far more beautiful car than its moniker suggests. But it may more importantly be the last hurrah for the most emotive of engine layouts. With turbocharged V8s and now hybrid drivetrains a reality for Maranello's finest, it seems that the scream of an unassisted V12 might soon be relegated to the aural recollection of history.
There is, however, still today.
And today, the majestic 812 Superfast exists, and Carfection's Henry Catchpole gets to drive it. Albeit for a limited time.
With a single six-hour day to collect the car from the factory gates and get a film in the can, there wasn't a heap of time to wax lyrical about the Superfast. Henry spent what time he had drinking in the sensations that come from driving a car that most of us could never dream of actually being able to buy.
The Manettino switch has been a fixture on Ferraris for over a decade. It allows you to switch between driving modes from "Wet" which will keep you safe in in tricky conditions right the way through to "ESC Off" which switches all of the aids off and leaves you to figure out how not to spin off the road. A new dimension of driver engagement is unleashed as you progress through the modes. And as you take on more responsibility, there are more opportunities to have fun.
Modes for the cautious and the brave and everyone in between.
With limited time in the car a taster menu of those driving modes is the best way to experience the full breadth of that the 812 Superfast can do for you, and what you can do in it.
In this latest Carfection film, we've given the 812 the opportunity to speak for itself. There is a lot to be said about the car: Exactly how it handles, what its limitations are and precisely how the engineering on board does what it does. For now, however, the roar of that V12 does all the talking. And frankly, you're going to want to hear what it has to say.