Is the 812 engine the high water mark for a 'regular' production car?

Yes. Undoubtedly.

 

The 812 is simply astonishing and its 800hp V12 is pure bliss. Here is a lengthy review I compiled when I first received my new 812 last summer. I’ve posted it several times previously, so I apologize to anyone who might have already seen it.

So in between t-storms today I managed to get in my initial 30 mile blitz through the backwoods of North Carolina. I didn’t need any more time to validate my decision to move forward on the 812. If I’m honest with myself, I was more than a little concerned about the price walk between my perfectly awesome F12 and the 812. The dollar gap’s considerable and I was worried that the juice might not be worth the squeeze. Even though I had the opportunity to thrash a new 812 at Road Atlanta as part of Corsa Pilota last summer, I still wondered how it might work for my primary driving, which largely consists of carving up the twisty’s in North Carolina. I felt then, and still do now, that the F12 is 85-90% of the 812. That extra 10-15% has a considerable price. To me though, in the end, it was worth it. And I say this as an unabashed superfan of the F12. Here is what makes the 812 worth the price of admission:

• 4WS - This new addition goes a long ways to reducing the overall feel of size and heft that is ever-present in the F12. Both cars are remarkably nimble, but the 4WS presents a significant upgrade.
• Gearbox - The shifts are much quicker, especially the downshifts. My biggest gripe on the F12 was the relatively slow downshift. Compared to my Performante, it felt very much DCT 1.0. The 812 removes that criticism altogether. Added bonus is the shifts come quicker, which means there’s more of them. Also, they are more authoritative, not so much a slam (like a single clutch Aventador), but just very much both quick and abrupt.
• Noise - Hard to improve on the F12, but the 812 is louder, which for me, is a huge win. To my ear, the cold start is much much louder. I did not go much over 6000 rpms, and can only imagine and assume that winding the V12 to the redline will be corresponding more eventful in the 812.
• Power - The F12 is freakishly overpowered. It’s a white knuckled affair every time you slam the accelerator. The 812 is even more powerful, and shockingly, the power upgrade is readily apparent.
• Confidence inspiring - Despite the obvious power upgrade, the 812 is more planted and creates far more assurance and certainty. The F12 always had a Jekyll and Hyde quality that I found endearing, but the 812 gently shifts towards Jekyll and away from Hyde.
• Turn in - I actually really liked the light and fast steering feel in the F12 and I always thought the turn in was surprisingly engaging. The 812 is greatly refined in its steering feel and directional control. I look forward to exploring this more in subsequent runs.
• My spec - The 812 is my first time creating a Ferrari spec and I love how it turned out. My worry regarding the spec took on a life of its own over the last several months, but all that trepidation was for naught. It’s exactly how I wanted it to be. Added bonus, my wife loves the spec. She actually called it “elegant and tasteful”. This last part is special as my wife is completely nonplussed on my car addiction. That she actually likes the 812 is an unexpected windfall. (For context, she thinks my Rosso Mars Performante is silly, and thinks the Miami Blue 991.2 GT3 RS I am thinking about acquiring screams mid-life crisis…

Bottom line, the 812 is a massive step forward from the already perfectly incredible F12. It’s a forever car for me and I look forward to many years and miles spent thoroughly exploring its capabilities and personality.

 

The awesome thing is, it’s win-win either way. If 812 is the high watermark of production V12, then we keep enjoying it. If new production V12 keeps coming, that means it lives on for longer and more pure V12s to enjoy!

 

2019 812SF, pre-GPF is the high water mark, there simply is no concern of GPF in any regard

the 812GTS with GPF, understand that the engine required re-working per Ferrari simply to achieve the same output due to power loss occurring due to GPF fitment; the GPF adds additional heat soak to the engine compartment (unclear if Ferrari provided additional cooling); it adds the possibility for the engine to be run lean to increase exhaust temperatures to regenerate (burn off accumulated particulate matter); it removes the higher frequencies from being heard at top of the rpm range (F8 has same issue, noted by Matt Farah, after 5K rpm the engine sound does not change)

a number of new CELs are added, I do not have Ferrari's list but here's a link to Toyota's
https://toyota-club.net/files/faq/19-09-10_faq_gpf_eng.htm

if/when GPFs fail, they must both be replaced and in the 812GTS the parts alone will likely exceed 10K, thankfully there is a warranty

To date we have not heard what will replace the 812 series, we presume it will include a V12, but where are the test mules? Originally the 812 replacement was to be MY2022 or 2023....

 

I think the 812 will be the last NA V12. The engine is just being regulated out of existence sadly. But I will happily be incorrect.

I get out of my 812, turn and look at it and think to myself, “I should get back in and keep driving.” It’s just pure fun on 4 wheels. Ferrari poured a lot of effort into making the 812 just that much better and it shows. I drove a few cars in Ferrari’s lineup before ordering, and instantly decided I needed to order an 812. Not I wanted to, I needed to.

I absolutely adore my car, and plan to hold onto it till the grave (hopefully in a long long time). I’ve put 4500 miles on it in just about 2 months now.

 

Who knows what will happen to the V12, some say there are a couple more iterations to come, the 812 Vs and an Icon car (250 swb ) and after that ? Hard to see how it can continue as it is, emissions will kill it. If we see another one in the future your heart says please keep NA but reality suggests a turbo/hybrid version. So as a relatively normal and "common" Ferrari V12 , the 812 is there. Not that the F12 (for many better looking) is far behind. Whatever, 800 bhp Na engines are close to the end that is for sure.

 

Nice... The miles and short time span you mentioned are very close to how it is over here !!

I thought I was the only one treating this car that way. Almost everyone I see online uses their car only occasionally, as if it were not important to them as a car, or too important as an investment. Either way, I think dealing with your 812 like that is insane.

I feel exactly like what you wrote. I never want to go home, not even after looong tiring drives. This is crazy strange because I was never a car guy, nor even someone who enjoyed driving cars. My other car (only one I owned before the 812) has around 7500km on it, driven over about 2 years.
While the 812 now has 8500ish KM (5.2kish miles) on it, over only 58 days!

Are you also tearing up paint protection like crazy? Actually, are you having any issues at all worth mentioning?

 

Fortunately I am not having any PPF issues whatsoever. 4700 miles in and all the PPF is going very strong. I've done a couple 400 mile trips in it, and been behind some cars that are notorious for throwing rocks. But no issues yet. Using S-tek dynoshield, and I have the entire car wrapped.

 

Sadly, I have a rock chip on my hood. I didn't bother with the PPF this time. I put it on the 488 and only kept the car two years, not worth it in that case. I will probably keep this car at least two years and maybe longer but the rock chip can be fixed for much less than the PPF would cost. I also found that the ppf, when it is hit, will have dirty edges where the rock impacted so the surface is still marred and often not repairable without removing the film.

 

Thats an interesting perspective . I get all my cars PPFed. Any paintwork that needs to be done gives me anxiety. Having the film redone after impact seems far better than having to have paint retouched . Sometimes the chip cant be touched up so its not noticeable and you have to repaint the entire section. That is a big no no. At the price point of these cars the cost of PPF seems like a relative bargain.

 

Fully agree. It's surprising how good PPF is these days... it lasts for years without degrading and can actually protect against more serious bumps. I've seen a car hit in a carpark (admittedly at v low speed) and the scrape marks on the bumper came off, due to PPF

I have full PPF on my 812 GTS. Getting ceramic coating applied on top this weekend, for additional protection. Well, I'm not sure it adds much protection but it does make it easier to clean the car.

 

I have put it on multiple cars and the film gets cut easily, the marks are noticeable and the film can't be touched up, it often has to be replaced at cost. The film makes the car easy to wash but really, I haven't found it to be anything but a benefit to the next owner. As to the idea that a small rock chip is a no-no, that's for garage queen cars. I drive my cars a good bit and these things are unavoidable. Depreciation costs far more than rock chips and given that, why give the next owner even more?

 

I usually do full PPF and ceramic coating. The coating means I dont have to wax the car plus it does make it far easier to clean as far as dust.

 

I feel like driving the car frequently should be a reason to put PPF. More chances for damage. Depreciation does cost more than rock chips but rock chips can add to depreciation. It can cost more to sell a car thats been retouched or repainted vs one that has the film. Thats my opinion and you may feel differently. In the end I dont put the PPF on thinking about reselling the car. I just want protection from having to touch up and feel the price is minimal to get that.

 

Yes, that's the way I used to feel about it but I am in about $30k on ppf for cars and it hasn't really been a benefit to me because I haven't kept the cars long enough.

 

Curious what brand of PPF you are putting on the cars? Also, just doing front coverage or full coverage?

 

I’m not sure about brand, mine done by Topaz in London which are one of the top two in town but not sure what they use.

Definitely full car. Otherwise, after a year or so you will notice a difference between the PPF sections and non PPF. For example, the latter likely to have swirl marks in paint. No point in cutting corners at this price point of car

 

PPF is such a tricky decision. I have 3 other cars (one “numbered”) that I plan on keeping and decided on no PPF for all 3. However, I plan on getting full PPF for my incoming 812 (knowing I will have to replace every 5 years or so since I also plan on keeping the 812 long term). I don’t have a great reason though.

 

If you get it done at Metro I think it's gonna last longer than 5 years. But I guess time will tell

 

Good thing is, yellowing won’t be noticeable on dark colors. I mainly want to minimize the risk of clear coat damage from adhesive sitting around too long and thought 5 years might be a good balance. I wonder what MD would recommend as replacement frequency.

 

I use Suntek Ultra but I also used a fairly thick expel on my 991tts which I didn't like because it wasn't as sheer. I usually do the whole car but just did the front on the Cali T HS.

 

The thought that the 812 could be the last of its kind is what motivated me to overcome my unwavering preference for mid/rear engine sports car layouts and pounce. Special car, the 812 is.

And, not a bad stablemate for my 488.