Is it fast or “Superfast”, yes, it is, to date its Ferrari’s fastest series production car. (Excluding the LaFerrari) The naturally aspirated 6.5 litre V12 engine produces 800hp, with 718Nm of torque, the engine has a rev limit of 8900rpm. Top speed is 340kph, 0-100kph is 2.9 seconds, 0-200kph is 7.9 seconds. The 812 has a dry weight of only 1525kg with a weight distribution of 47% front & 53% rear.

The interior is a nod to the LaFerrari, the seats are made up of different materials to differ from the rest of the interior with perforated leather panels. The steering wheel has buttons for lights, indicators, the driving mode dial as well as the engine start button, plus the suspension setting button. The rest of the features like the radio are found on the dashboard itself.

Shorter downshifts come from the paddle shifted 7-speed DCT gearbox, this allows you to do three downshifts in one second by holding the paddle or pulling it as fast as you can. The steering wheel mounted dial allows you to select several driving modes like: Wet, Sport and Race, the quick steering is an electric power assisted system with torque vectoring type feedback to let you know when you are on the limit of steering angle. Rear steer creates a virtual shorter wheelbase that allows the 812 to feel more manoeuvrable and perform better in the corners and parking in town.

The body incorporates a great deal of front downforce thanks to the twin front diffusers just in front of the front wheels, which increases air drawn in by the underbody. The side of the 812 has three curved dams on each side that act as a vortex generator that create more downforce for the front underbody. The rear spoiler also generates additional downforce, it however doesn’t extend beyond the 812’s body. The fastback silhouette is reminiscent of the old 365 GTB4 Ferrari, the front side vents behind the front wheels are designed to suck high pressure air from the wheel arches and feed the air along the sculptured doors. The tyres are Pirelli P Zero 275/35/20-inch fronts and 315/35/20-inch rears.

How does it compare to the F12 that its replacing, the 812 has shorter gearing and the shorter downshifts are a massive improvement over the outgoing F12.