The Ferrari 812 Superfast is not just the fastest model in the brand’s history, it combines racing performance with suburban manners like no other new car

by evan monroe

Ferrari, true to marketing form, selected the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in March for the world premiere of its 12-cylinder berlinetta, the 812 Superfast, the most powerful and fastest car in the maker’s history. Building on the legacies of the F12 Berlinetta and F12 TDF, the Superfast is aimed at clients demanding a super sports car that’s also manageable on suburban thoroughfares. Powered by a new 6.5-liter V12 engine (789 hp), with a dual-clutch, lightning-fast transmission and sharpened throttle response, the 812 offers a 0-to-60 time of 2.8 seconds. It’s also the first Ferrari to sport Electric Power Steering, and includes the latest (5.0 version) of the maker’s patented Side Slip Control.

Designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre, the Superfast, seen in silhouette, has a fastback sleekness to it: a two-box design with a high tail reminiscent of the glorious 365 GTB4 of 1969. Design of the flanks visually shortens the tail, however, and is further characterized by muscular wheel arches. Full-LED headlights integrated into the sculpted air intakes on the hood emphasize that overall muscularity, integrating with and wrapping around the front wheel arch. Launch color at the show was a new hue, Rosso Settanta (seen here), which marks the Italian auto legend’s 70th anniversary.

The cabin has been given a sportier, more radical look, with the main elements seeming to float (creating an effect of both thoroughbred racing eagerness and lean elegance), and the horizontal dash loops stylishly around central air vents for a sophisticated, sculptural sensibility.

Ferrari of Central New Jersey
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