2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast: Super in more ways than one
With nearly 800 horsepower on tap, the Superfast lives up to its old-school name.
The day a new Ferrari model arrives is a day worthy of celebration, even if the name seems a little...silly.
Say hello to the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Let's just get this part out of the way first -- yes, it sounds dumb, but there's history attached. The 500 Superfast was the pinnacle of the Ferrari America lineup. It debuted in Geneva in 1964, sporting a 395-horsepower V12 and bodywork by famed design house Pininfarina.
Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff. Under the hood is a 6.5-liter V12 producing 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque. It's Ferrari's most powerful V12 to date, and when mated to the 812's dual-clutch transmission, it'll most certainly haul ass around a circuit. Its intake features variable geometry based on the intakes of naturally aspirated Formula 1 engines.
The 812 is the first Ferrari to feature electric power steering, but the automaker promises it won't neuter the steering feel. It also packs the latest variants of Ferrari's stability control system, as well as a revised rear-wheel-steering setup, which pivots the rear axle to improve high-speed handling and low-speed maneuverability.
Sadly, the Superfast's rear end borrows my least favorite styling cue from the GTC4Lusso -- that bodywork over the taillights. It looks like a unibrow, and I'll never stop calling it that. The rest of the car looks nice, though, with a whole bunch of active aerodynamics to balance out efficiency and performance.
The interior is spiffy too, as are most Ferrari interiors. The tachometer sits front and center, straddled by two configurable screens. The steering wheel is new, but certain Ferrari-specific features remain, like the turn signal buttons and the "manettino" mode switch on the bottom.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and if you want one, you'll probably want to act fast before the line gets too long.