Ferrari 812 Superfast
What is it?
To put it simply it's the new crown jewel grand tourer, has a V12 heart and slippery as hell profile rendered in red, very red. A finely orchestrated mess of curves and raked lines, soft and sharp, bite-the-back-of-your-hand stuff for sure. That's an all-new 12 cylinder engine as well. Practical, like a glove (made of velvet) pulled over a gauntlet. Made of fire.
How does it go?
Very, very fast and quick as stink too. From it's now 6.5 litres (up from 6.2l) the V12 is able to conjure 590kW and 718Nm, good for a 0-100kph sprint of 2.9 seconds. It will smash the 200kph mark in 7.9 seconds and continue unabated to a max velocity of 340kph. And that is how it goes.
Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T
What is it?
I’ve actually driven the GTC4 Lusso in the mountains of Northern Italy, and yes I realise how pretentious I sound right now. But that was the V12 and this, this is the turbo charged 3.9 litre V8. Yes, this is the first time four seats and turbo charging have lived in the same Ferrari brochure – so there’s an interesting stat for the Tifosi.
How does it go?
Well look, I’ve always enjoyed the sound of a screaming V8 over that of a V12, same here despite this one being forcefully aspirated. Turbo power also means high torque levels, 780Nm which compares super favourably to the V12 in the previous car’s 718Nm. The turbo’d eight also makes 449kW which is hardly something to scoff it. In fact, on the tight and twisty Alps, I almost think this would be the better car to have.
Ferrari Portofino
What is it?
Simply put, this is the latest in the line of roofless V8 GTs from Maranello. And it’s a bloody good V8 somewhat akin to the one in the Lusso and we’ll get to that in a moment. By roofless we refer to the retractable hardtop (RHT) and as for that name obviously Portofino refers to the charming village on the Italian Riviera. And if you don’t know where that, you’re probably (like me) not the typical Ferrari buyer. The rest of the brief is text book supercar, a rigid and dynamic chassis with purposeful electronics and technology enabling the Portofino to bend physics and break necks. Good.
How does it go?
Right, that V8 then – let’s break it down, numbers style, shall we? Measuring 3855cc and producing 441kW and 760Nm, it’s willing and able. 0-100kph is dispatched in just 3.5 seconds, 200kph in 10.8 seconds and maxes out at 320kph. Pretty much what you’d expect from a Ferrari, but you know, with the roof down.
