Recently replaced by the 12Cilindri, the 812 Superfast, for a whole seven years, brilliantly extended the tradition of large Ferrari berlinettas with V12 engines. While the recipe is well known, it remains as fascinating as ever, because the philosophy adopted by Maranello for the pinnacle of its catalog for the last thirty years resembles, by its singularity, a high-flying challenge: how, indeed, to compete with mid-engined machines of the caliber of a Lamborghini Aventador, a priori more efficient than a front-engined car? At Ferrari, the iterations of the concept have been very numerous, but are not content to summon the reflexes of a legitimate nostalgia: it is not simply a question of perpetuating a custom but of demonstrating its relevance, even its technical superiority!
The story of a return to one's roots
"With the Daytona, I feel like I'm driving on the first floor!" Sergio Pininfarina himself is said to have snarled, when in 1968 he compared his sensations at the wheel of the new Ferrari (designed by his own company) and the recent Lamborghini Miura. Like most famous quotes, this one may be apocryphal, but the fact remains that, when it comes to road cars, the antagonism between the proponents of the front engine and the acclaimed mid-rear engine dates back to the era when, faced with the ever-increasing innovative ambitions of Sant'Agata Bolognese, Maranello decided to adhere to strict classicism in this regard. The 365 GTB/4 thus carried its V12 in front of its driver and seamlessly embodied the pinnacle of Ferrari until 1973 – the date when it was succeeded by the first Berlinetta Boxer, also equipped with a 4.4-liter twelve-cylinder, but open 180 degrees and this time located at the rear. "At last!" rejoiced the supporters of progress, convinced that front-engined berlinettas were now history. And, indeed, for twenty-three years, the BB 365 then 512, followed by the Testarossa, 512 TR and F512 M faced the Lamborghini Countach then Diablo, retaining the same technical layout as their rivals. Until that day in the summer of 1996 when Ferrari unveiled a 550 Maranello whose architecture seemed to be a singular return to its roots.
The Revenge of the Front Engine
For, in fact, the 550 looked a lot like a modern-day Daytona. Gone was the "flat" V12 positioned behind the passengers: open at 65 degrees, the new twelve-cylinder (Type 133) made its grand return at the front of the car, which, as no one missed, shared a number of components with the 456 coupé marketed four years earlier. Thus, as in the heyday, the two "top-of-the-range" Ferraris—the 2+2 coupé and the berlinetta—once again shared their V12 and general structure, even if each model sported a distinct stylistic identity. Was it necessary to go so far as to evoke economies of scale, at a time when, under the very competent leadership of Luca di Montezemolo, the Cavallino Rampante was resolutely embarking on a path of industrial rationalization? Having become familiar in the world of mass-produced manufacturers, this notion seemed incongruous at Ferrari, and yet it is precisely to this concern that we owe this return to the front engine – which has not, however, been synonymous with technical regression, quite the contrary!
Sculpted by the Wind
Subsequently, the duo consisting of the 612 Scaglietti and 599 GTB continued this division of roles, before Ferrari's strategy radically evolved in the early 2010s, giving rise respectively to the FF shooting brake and the F12berlinetta, presented in spring 2012. The latter adopted the front-mid-engine principle introduced by the 599, as well as its engine substrates—this time, it was the V12 tipo F140, boosted to 6.3 liters for a power output of 740 hp. Aesthetically, the car marked a clear break from its predecessor, being the first V12-powered road-going Ferrari designed—with, admittedly, the collaboration of Pininfarina—by the in-house design studio. No fuss, no gratuitous gesture in this design entirely focused on the quest for aerodynamic efficiency, with this copiously hollowed hood and front wings, allowing to guide the air flows and thus generate negative lift, thus contributing to the stability of the machine at high speed. For its part, the all-aluminum construction, called space frame, with a tubular structure using twelve different aluminum alloys, contains the weight to only 1630 kilos, hence chronos which, even twelve years later, leave one dreaming: more than 340 km/h top speed, 0 to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds, 0 to 200 in 8.5 seconds!
Better than a tuned F12
Yet, the car would only last five years before being replaced, in 2017, by the 812 Superfast – a suffix that hadn't been used since the highly confidential 500 Superfast, built from 1964 to 1966. For many years, Ferrari has enjoyed cultivating ambiguity regarding the naming of its models; often, a name change simply corresponds to a more or less significant restyling, accompanied by a major technical update, as with the 458 Italia, 488 GTB, and then the F8 Tributo. Is this the case for the 812 compared to the F12? Revised and corrected by Ferrari stylists, the design doesn't disconcert owners of the old model; The 812 further improves its aerodynamic package and – not to everyone’s taste – displays aesthetic details intended to reinforce its aggressiveness, deliberately moving away from the elegance mixed with technology that characterized the F12. Seen from the rear in particular, the car is even more impressive than its predecessor, while the power of the V12, which now has a capacity of 6496 cm3, increases further to reach 800 hp at 8500 rpm, the torque peaking at 718 Nm, reached at 7000 rpm. Enough to regain some distance from the Lamborghini Aventador.
The last Ferrari V12?
These are the hallmarks of a legendary engine, still naturally aspirated and still enduring in the 12-cylinder – but given the regulatory context and the increasingly present hybridization in Maranello's current range, it's doubtful that Ferrari will ever design another V12... Born in the Enzo in 2002, the Tipo 140 has steadily grown to reach 830 hp under the hoods of the highly exclusive 812 Competizione presented in 2021, available in both coupé and open body styles, and which marked the model's climax, also featuring the four-wheel steering glimpsed in the short-lived F12tdf. "The 812 Competizione is alone in the world," wrote Laurent Chevalier in Sport Auto, noting a balance that resembles "detail for detail that of a mid-rear engine architecture." The circle is complete... And while its design has thrown all discretion out the window, this bewitching traveler remains usable: with a 320-liter luggage compartment, you can even go on vacation behind the wheel, and the highly sophisticated magnetorheological suspension won't wreck your vertebrae. Unsurprisingly, the 812's rating remains high, and opportunities below 300,000 euros are rare. If the model tempts you, don't hesitate to contact the CarJager specialists, who will be happy to make your dream come true!
No comments