Truth in Naming: Ferrari 812 Superfast Claims 211 MPH, Even More Insane V-12 Power

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Sometimes, despite all the rich adjectives and clever metaphors in the English language, the verbiage of a little boy best describes a car. This red car is super fast. It is a Ferrari. Ergo, it is called the Ferrari 812 Superfast.

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For its 70th birthday, Ferrari is once again resurrecting the Superfast name, first seen on the 4.9 Superfast that was the quickest car we tested in the 1950s. Then as now, Ferrari’s most powerful 12-cylinder engine resides in this new 812 Superfast, a hairier evolution of the extreme F12tdf introduced for 2016. Ferrari bored out its naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V-12 to 6.5 liters and fitted a new 5076-psi direct-injection system for just shy of 800 SAE horsepower (the 8 in the name is a reference to the car’s 800 metric horsepower)—call it 789 in American.

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Equipped with the same variable-length intake runners that shorten and lengthen the intake tracts to maximize airflow, the new V-12 achieves that lofty power output at 8500 rpm, along with 530 lb-ft of torque at 7000 rpm. That equals the LaFerrari’s power and bests its 516 lb-ft. It also beats the F12tdf’s 769 ponies and 520 lb-ft. Lest a turbocharged 488GTB enter the debate, a full 80 percent of the Superfast’s torque is available at 3500 rpm. Ferrari claims a zero-to-62-mph time of 2.9 seconds, a top speed of 211 mph, and upon request will cite more figures no other front-engined production car could hope to match.

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Software plays an even more significant role here than in the F12tdf. A second generation of Ferrari’s virtual short wheelbase (Maranello’s name for rear-wheel steering), a fifth version of its side slip control, and Ferrari’s first ever electric power steering promise invincibility. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic sports new gear ratios and quicker shifting times. All the familiar active aero flaps in the front, venturis out back, vents, intakes, and aerodynamic wonders are here, but there’s no wing to disrupt the Superfast’s slippery body. Whether or not it’s more beautiful than the original F12berlinetta is the one burning question we’ve raised about all Ferrari models since the company dropped Pininfarina in favor of its own styling studio. The Superfast shares the F12tdf’s length but is 0.4 inch wider and 0.1 inch taller. Ferrari will release more details in the coming weeks as it prepares for the Superfast’s debut at the Geneva auto show. Although pricing is not yet being discussed, a spokesman told C/D that it is most “appropriate” to compare its cost with that of the F12berlinetta, which currently sells for just under $ 330,000.

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• First Drive Review: 2016 Ferrari F12tdf

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• Happy Anniversary, Japan: Ferrari J50 Bows As the Ultimate 488 Spider

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• Archived Instrumented Test: Ferrari 4.9 Superfast

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Back to the kid-friendly name: Ferrari’s last modern use of Superfast was in 2009, when it built one gold-colored P540 Superfast Aperta based off the 599GTB. We keep seeing Superfast Ferraris coming up at auctions, too. In January, a 1965 Superfast Series I sold in Scottsdale for more than $ 2.9 million. Two other Superfast zcoupes sold at Monterey in 2015 and 2016, respectively, for $ 3.03 million and $ 2.75 million. All had a 5.0-liter V-12 with 400 horsepower that hit 170 mph—on 1960s-era tires and with 1960s-era brakes. Maxing the 812 Superfast should be altogether less frightening, but let’s not think too deeply: It’s just really, really fast.

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