Every now and again a car comes along that you just want. No objectivity, no hesitation, just a deep, uncompromising yearning. These cars have always been front engined Ferraris to me, even though they are a bit of an antithesis to the performance cars I usually appreciate and love (sub 3300lbs, slower rack, . ). Last year a customer of mine decided to sell his 812 for a pretty fair price before up/downgrading to a Continental GT. I also looked at other 812s on the market, however it was pretty hard for me to find anything that was configured in a better way. Since these cars were treated like gold on the used market at the time (they still are to a degree), the decision wasn’t the most difficult and it seemed like a good entry into the Ferrari ownership world back then. And what an entry it was. My car is painted in Grigio Titanio, silver wheels, blue leather, hardly any carbon. A few months ago I did an extensive comment regarding first impressions, I have now added some more impressions because I think that the car deserves its own post.
Some pictures of the car over the last months: https://imgur.com/a/EkA14zB
There are enough comparisons and reviews about the car. It’s often about numbers, etc. What a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a Dacia can/can’t do in comparison and so on. If I would do the same right now, I would complain about the too light steering, how the steering lacks the detail, transparency and feedback of a 911, about the rather spongy pressure point of the air conditioning controls and so on. If you are looking for a critical review of the car, this is not the place. Instead this is my attempt to put emotions into words and introduce a car that most probably haven’t driven yet.
styling:
Just some words on the styling: Some say it’s a Ferrari Corvette in terms of styling. A Corvette with a N/A V12 revving to almost 9000rpm? I can live with that. Styling-wise I would describe it as a beautiful but bulky looking car from certain angles, a bit overloaded. Not Italian, more Italo-American if that makes any sense. But the side line is excellent, look at the swing above the rear wheel. When the sun shines on the car, it results in a play of light that highlights the big hipps even more. Personally, I prefer four tail lights over two, apart from that I think the F12 looks better from both the front and rear. Enough talking about styling.
Řidičské zkušenosti:
So, cars are meant to be driven and that’s what I want to talk about now. No, this wouldn’t do the car any justice. Emotions are the key point why the 812 exists, what makes it stand out compared to everything else on the market. The car has one character trait that sets it apart from any other modern performance car short of the Emira and A110, from any modern Porsche GT car for instance: It’s playful, it’s meant to be a toy that makes any drive special, at any speed. Dare I say . a pure driver’s car? I have watched and read a lot of reviews about the car because I wanted to see if someone shares my enthusiam. Most of them focus on the powertrain, the pure speed of that thing and I don’t think this does the car enough justice.
I am not sure people will understand what a big deal ‘being playful’ actually means nowadays when it comes to modern performance cars. A playful car just doesn’t exist anymore apart from the Miata and A110. Ignore all the stupid hp figures, Cup 2R grip levels, 0-60 times, lap times, the 812 drives and talks with you in ways it shouldn’t be allowed to. You turn into a corner, the front end is here giving you all the trust to lean on it. What happens now, is a miracle and it’s all for the better. It starts talking with you in a way that is reminiscent of the good, old friend — the Lotus Elise. The front end, damping, body control, body roll, compliante ride — it’s all there. No «early 00’s tuner car»-like, harsh hopping over an uneven bump like a GT3 would do. «Stop, stop, stop. Okay stop that you idiot. If Chapman read this, he’d himself crawl out of the ground to smack you. Enough with the Elise comparison.» A 800hp, front engined, 1800kg Gran Turismo will never match an Elise, of course not — there is this distinctive precision, the tactility, the clear feedback from both the chassis and steering in connection with the weight and size of the car what makes the Elise stand out forever in the sea of performance cars built in the last 25-30 years. The Elise is excellent in this respect, a modern car never comes close it in this area, however there are a few traits that are quite similar.
Once you attack a corner, it starts rolling and pitching in typical Ferrari front engine V12 manner. It dives into the corner resulting in a behavior we just aren’t just to anymore when it comes to modern performance cars, all at a level that it never feels like a boat when there is a heavy swell. It all feels intended, natural and that’s the key for a good street car. As I said, it dives a bit like a bit like a Miata and that makes it so much fun that words aren’t good enough to actually express what I feel behind the wheel of that thing. It has actual feedback from the chassis, way more than you would probalby expect. In my opinion, a good driver’s car doesn’t need to be driven flat out to create a memorial driving experience, yet on the other hand its chassis and control inputs should have varying degrees of engagement the harder you push the car. Let’s call it a progressive, speed-based level of feedback. The 812 nailes that. It shows two different sides when driven at 4/10 as opposed to 8/10, however one thing remains — the car is fun and engaging in any situation. I know I’m repeating myself, but it’s really important for me to point this out simply because this type of performance car is pretty much non-existent in today’s world.
After my first few spirited drives, I was in disbelief that the car rides the way it does — you would expect it to be a hard, flat cornering machine to compensate it’s natural disadvantages, the weight. But it’s not. Rather, it seems as if they simply accepted the weight at Ferrari, developed the driving dynamics with emphasis on highlighting the weight an active part of its unique driving characteristics. Driving it on a mountain road means throwing the car from corner to corner while the body of the car is tottering around resulting in a driving character that reminds a bit of a happy dog wiggling with its tail. I have a feeling that the GTS could be an even better car to throw around due to the lack of chassis stiffness compared to the SF, but I haven’t driven one yet.
Yes, the car feels way too big and wide on a tight mountain road, yet the way it manages these road makes me think that this is the place where the car belongs. Because the way it is set-up screams «let me have fuuuunnnn». It’s an overweight dancer that rewards trail braking into a corner, leading to wonderful rotation — characteristics. Yet, halfway through the corner, you stomp the gas pedal, the ass comes out and once there is some grip and rws comes to play, you march out of the curve like a steamer gone mad. The RWS-system is significantly improved over the TDF making the whole process of RWS and your steering inputs more natural and intiutive. I’ve only ever driven the TDF on track and only for some short stints but its RWS-system always has been one of the things that bothered me about it. They fixed that with the 812.
Body roll in a performance car is a good thing as long as it feels natural and not exaggerated. All of this adds up to a chassis that is as transparent and informing as one could wish for. I can’t think of many new cars that do have that level of information coming through the chassis and at this point it makes up for an averagely numb, hyperactive EPAS. I’m not a fan of superfast steering racks and that will probably never change. As with every modern car you rely on chassis feedback — there is tons of that, however that shouldn’t excuse the lack of steering feel.
In addition to body roll there is another crucial thing which makes the 812 stand out — it doesn’t hate bumpy, dirty roads with bad pavement. Don’t get me wrong, a F12 has better ride quality but the 812 still isn’t super stiff. It may not be the smoothest ride that you will ever have, it may be more sports car than Gran Turismo — like. But unlike a 992 GT3 with Cup 2s due to its stock camber + stiff suspension, it is not going to shake your teeth out while you’re wringing your hands to keep the car on the road, heading for the next tree rather than the next Cars and Coffee. Ferrari’s chassis engineering has been the best in the market since the 458 and is easily on par with what Lotus has been doing with the S3 Elise & Exige. There is a clear focus on the on-road driving experience over track usage which can be seen across all modern Ferraris. What they can do if they then build a car that has a halfway acceptable weight figure can be seen with cars like the Speciale, still the benchmark for chassis tuning perfection of a hardcore road car, and recently also the 296.
In my opinion Ferrari has found the right ingridients to combine both worlds with this car. Weight obviously has a lot to do with it. The 812 SF just wants to play, it’s rewarding to drive at any speed, while also having a multi — layered character to «unlock» different levels of engagement depending on whether you’re flat out or cruising around at 5/10th. Driving one leaves the complete opposite impression of what the spec sheet may imply. On paper it looks like a numbers chaser with way too much hp, in reality? Yes, it has too much hp but that unlike most cars, it’s not its only character trait. In fact, the hp figure is overshined by its excellent damping, turn in and all the other things I tried to describe further up.
For anyone who, given today’s performance car market, longs for 10-20 year old sports cars, a Miata NC, a 987/996/997, an Elise/Exige S1/2/3, I heartily recommend driving a modern front-engined Ferrari. No, the 812 isn’t a Lotus Elise or a 996.2 GT3 but it shows that it’s still possible in this day and age of excessive hp and weight to build a fun car as long as you let some crazy Italians tinker in a barn in Maranello. Think about it, you have a car that focuses on on — road driving quality and fun which only three or four (!) sports cars currently do (Emira, A110, Miata, not sure about the Gr86), yet on the other hand you get an 800 hp missile. It’s just a unicorn and I can’t think of anyone else who would build a car like that.
Does the powertrain dominate the whole experience?
Guess what is sensational too? Of course you know, the engine. What a masterpiece. When the car came out, this easily was the best engine in a non-hypercar product at the time. Nowadays it is overshined by a member of its familiy, the Competizione’s F140HB which revvs even higher. Still, the F140GA is a masterpiece, one of the best engines of all time in a street car. No words would do a N/A V12 revving to 8900rpm any justice. I will just leave it like that. It’s a musical instrument, no a whole orchestra spread over 12 cylinders. The gearbox enhances that experience. Bang, bang, bang, from gear to gear. A sound of fireworks, madness as it’s all about drama. It’s not as aggressive as in Ferrari’s midengine offerings but still way more aggressive than Porsche’s PDK. We don’t need to talk about shift speed or programming since Ferrari’s gearboxes have been excellent for quite some time now, easily on par with the PDK if not better. But it adds an extra layer of engagement and drama over the PDK, I like that since it fits the character of the car. (If there is one car that wouldn’t be better with a MT, it’s the 812. I would love to have a manual 599/550 some day, but these cars still have a moderate amount of hp compared to the 812).
Some say, the powertrain dominates the whole experience of the 812. I disagree since the rest of the car is just as excellent. But it definitely contributes to the whole experience and with a turbocharged, lower revving lumb, the car wouldn’t be nowhere near as much of a driving-delicacy that it is in its current form. It should also be mentioned that the engine adds another character trait to the car apart from its ‘driver’s car’ quality which I tried to describe further up. It’s a stupid drift machine, a total riot if you want it. 800hp, N/A, rear wheel drive, there isn’t a better recipe. But here we are again talking about the multi-layered character of this I tried to highlight more than once. I’m a firm believer that exaggerated-hp figures can be equally as fun as ‘slow car fast’ as long as the car actually gives you the feeling that you are pocking around with 800hp and one wrong step on the gas pedal could also end with you facing the crash barrier. The 812 transmits emotions and sensation so far away from the actual limit of the car, there is no need to drive flat out to get joy out of it.
To sum up the driving part I would like to quote a statement by Jethro Bovingdon which could not be more apt: «Mind a bit blown. Turns like a mid-engined car, slides like an E60 M5, accelerates like a McLaren F1, noise and engine response from the gods. Utterly astounding that Ferrari’s front-engined ‘GT’ is this sharp and capable. I find it slightly depressing that spending all that money is genuinely worth it, but uplifting that Ferrari push and push to develop something this wild and yet useable.»
Závěr:
If you’ve read through this up to here and you haven’t understand yet that I’m in love with the car, then I’ll say it again clearly that I’ve actually fallen in love with this hot, untamed Italian. While it’s not a replacement for my Weissach athletes, it’s an excellent addition, given that the street -focused front engine, N/A V12 Ferrari is a bit of an antithesis to the current performance car market which is highly dominated by purely track-focused cars like modern Porsche GT products. I’m glad Ferrari doesn’t give a flying f*ck about that when it comes to the 812.
In summer we are going to do a month — long road trip around Europe. I couldn’t imagine any other car in my current car collection that combines the qualities of emotions, driving pleasure, practicality and residual comfort even remotely as well as the Superfast, which will be our car of choice. It’s a car that was never meant to be a long term keeper but the more time I have spent with it, the more character traits have come to the surface. I’ve come to the conclusion over the last few months that the 812 is an overweight supercar with sports car characteristics and the guise and space/practicality of a Gran Turismo, at the same time a big middle finger to the rest of the supercar landscape by not giving a damn about lap times, grip levels and track focus.
Wait, the car went around the Marketingring Nürburgring in 7min 30sec and was therefore slower than a 911 GT3, an AMG GTR or some other pile of shit? OH NO! Anyway.
