The Ferrari 812 Superfast’s exceptionally futuristic, finely-honed lines also, however, clothe Prancing Horse power at its rawest, as an entirely new 12-cylinder engine of unprecedented efficiency and might was designed for the car. That engine’s output has been boosted by 60 cv compared to the F12berlinetta, so that it unleashes a massive 800 CV, making the 812 Superfast the most powerful and fastest road-going Ferrari ever built (with the exception, of course, of the mid-rear-engined, special limited-series 12-cylinders). The Ferrari 812 Superfast thus ushers in a new era in Ferrari 12-cylinder history, in doing so, building on the invaluable legacies of the F12berlinetta and F12tdf.
To make full use of that huge power and to guarantee perfect weight distribution, the car exploits a highly evolved transaxle architecture that couples a front-mounted engine with a rear-mounted transmission. The Ferrari 812 Superfast is equipped with leading-edge vehicle dynamics control systems and components. It is striking for both its highly innovative design and aero package, as well as its unparalleled handling. It is also the first Ferrari to sport EPS (Electric Power Steering). Simply put, the 812 Superfast is the new benchmark for mid-front-engined sports cars. And at its heart is the new 12-cylinder which has forged its character. The Ferrari 812 Superfast, in fact, is aimed at clients that demand the most powerful and exclusive Ferrari in the range. They want a blisteringly high-performance car, but refuse to compromise on the kind of versatility that will allow them to thoroughly appreciate driving it as a 360-degree experience.
The challenge Ferrari tackled with the 812 Superfast was to design the most powerful road-going engine in the marque’s history (800 cv, 123 cv/l) whilst contemporaneously cutting fuel consumption and emissions, and, naturally, retaining the inimitable Ferrari 12-cylinder soundtrack. At the development stage, the engineers set themselves the goal of exceeding the specific power output of the F12berlinetta’s V12 which itself delivered class-topping performance. To do so, they decided to focus their efforts principally on optimising the intake system and combustion efficiency to fully exploit the increase in the engine’s displacement from 6.2 to 6.5 litres. These aspects increased the maximum amount of air that could be drawn into the engine (and thus its power output) thereby boosting its efficiency. The development process resulted in a maximum power output of 800 cv at 8,500 rpm, a new benchmark for the Ferrari range, in addition to a specific power output of 123 cv/l, a completely unprecedented figure for an engine front-mounted in a production car.
The new Ferrari 812 Superfast is fitted with Ferrari’s F1 dual-clutch transmission which has been further evolved to meet the car’s track driving performance targets and cope with the boost in maximum revs to 8,900 rpm. The gear ratios on all of the gears have been shortened by an average of 6% to exploit the extra performance and higher revs to the fullest as well as to improve the car’s acceleration without compromising pick-up in higher gears. There was particular focus on calibrating the gear-shift strategy to enhance the car’s sportiness, further slashing response times and creating a feeling of massive power and speed both in terms of longitudinal acceleration and auditory perception of the rising rpms. In both up- and down-shifts, the transition time has been reduced by 30%. On the track, this sharpened response equates to more down-shifts in the same time interval, when the driver uses the multi-down function (keeping the steering wheel-mounted Down shift paddle depressed with the Manettino in Sport position).
The Ferrari 812 Superfast is the first Ferrari to introduce Electric Power Steering (EPS) which, in line with Ferrari tradition, is used to fully exploit the potential of the car in terms of performance by integrating it with all of the electronic vehicle dynamics controls. The car also sees the introduction of the Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 system (PCV) which, starting from the experience gained with the F12tdf, combines electric front-wheel steering assistance with the mechanical concept built around tyre dimensions and the rear-wheel steering. All integrated with the vehicle dynamics control systems based on Version 5.0 of the SSC, with the aim of improving the agility and response time to steering wheel inputs of the 812 Superfast. The integration of the EPS enabled Ferrari’s engineers to introduce functionalities to support the driver’s performance experience by means of the primary interface with the road: the steering wheel.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast’s aero design is part of Ferrari’s ongoing commitment to continually improving performance with each new model, both in terms of speed and augmented vehicle dynamics for a more exhilarating driving experience. The development guidelines aimed to achieve exceptionally high aerodynamic efficiency figures through boosting of the downforce that influences a car’s stability without increasing drag as the latter would negatively impact fuel consumption and maximum speed. The aerodynamic coefficient values delivered by the Ferrari 812 Superfast are a significant improvement on those of the F12berlinetta. Mobile aero solutions, whether mechanically activated (active mobile aerodynamics) or activated by the pressure of the air itself (passive mobile aerodynamics), guarantee very low drag values. All its aerodynamic coefficients, however, have been improved.
