Ferrari 812 Superfast Dark Green

The surprising quality, practicality and comfort of the 812 Superfast’s cabin pours scorn on the old joke you bought a Ferrari for its engine alone and considered everything else an afterthought. Saying that it’s reassuring to know the engine remains the heart and soul of this car and what a glorious, lyrical, howling V12 Ferrari has assembled. It’s been bored out from the 6.2 litres of the F12 to 6.5 litres (like it needed it) and output is now a staggering 800 horsepower, achieved at an ear-splitting 8,500rpm. Torque is an equally monstrous 718Nm and 80% of that is available at 3,500rpm, meaning it’s equally potent at low or high revs. Whatever speed you’re doing, and whichever gear you’re in, if you floor it, amazing things happen. This car is a licence loser, so you have been warned. The clever seven-speed dual-clutch transmission now changes gears a third quicker than before but is still butter smooth so there’s no nasty neck ache. And the steering, now electrically assisted, should offer you some gentle assistance should you get carried away thanks to two functions known as Ferrari Peak Performance (FPP) and Ferrari Power Oversteer (FPO). In both case, steering-wheel torque will “provide the driver with an indication that the car is getting closer to its limit of grip”, which is very nice of it, and could save you quite a bit of money in insurance excesses.