What Makes the Ferrari 812 Superfast the End of an Era

A 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12, 789 hp, and 211 mph: the 812 Superfast explained, and why it stands among the last of Ferrari's front-engined twelve-cylinder flagships.

Few Ferraris explain themselves as plainly as the 812 Superfast. The name is the spec sheet. Unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show as the successor to the F12berlinetta, it took over as Ferrari’s V12 flagship^[1] — the standard-bearer for the company’s oldest idea: a very large engine in the front, driving the rear wheels.

The engine is the argument

The 812’s 6.5-liter naturally aspirated F140 V12 was, at launch, described by Ferrari as the most powerful naturally aspirated production car engine ever built.^[1] In standard form it produces 800 PS (789 hp), with 718 Nm (530 lb-ft) of torque at a lofty 7,000 rpm.^[1] A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic handles the shifts, and the layout is front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive.^[1] The results: a claimed 2.9 seconds to 100 km/h — Motor Trend measured 2.8 to 60 mph — and a top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph).^[1]

A family, not a single car

The berlinetta anchored a broader line. The 812 GTS, unveiled in 2019, opened the roof; the limited-production Competizione and Competizione A pushed output to 830 PS and added revised aerodynamics and four-wheel steering; the Omologata and SP51 extended the platform into coachbuilt territory.^[1] The 812 also marked a quiet technical first — Ferrari’s first electric power steering system.^[1]

Why it matters

Context is what elevates the 812 from fast to significant. This generation of cars represents one of the last naturally aspirated, twelve-cylinder, front-engined Ferraris^[1] — the format that built the company’s road-car reputation, executed at its highest pitch. Everything after moves toward electrification and forced induction; the 812 is the format at full volume, without apology.

It is a grand tourer in the literal sense — a machine built to cross continents at speed — and a historical marker in the figurative one.

Specifications, variants, and production context live on the Ferrari 812 Superfast database page. To see how the market values the end of an era, browse current 812 Superfast listings.