The 818bhp Ferrari 812 Competizione Revs To 9500rpm

This is not an ordinary Ferrari 812 Superfast. It’s called the 812 Competizione, a name Ferrari has confirmed today after showing the car from most angles and giving away most of the details a few weeks ago. Plus, we now know there’s a drop-top version too, called the Competizione A.

Both still use the 6.5-litre V12, but with redesigned components, a new valve timing mechanism and a fresh exhaust system. As a result, the ‘F140’ develops 818bhp, an increase of 41bhp relative to the standard 812.

We’re more interested in where that figure is developed, however, since it’s at the new redline of 9500rpm. The 812, for comparison, develops peak power at 8500rpm and tops out at 8900. Its new offshoot is Ferrari‘s highest-revving road car ever. Previously, that honour went to the LaFerrari, which the newbie beats by 250rpm.

To go with the revvier, more powerful V12, the F12tdf successor gets independent all-wheel steering, and the seventh version of Ferrari’s Side Slip Control system. The latter is the thing that allows you to drift like a hero without binning it - a welcome addition on an 800bhp+ rear-drive car.

Although the Competizione shares the profile of the 812, the bodywork has been radically altered in the name of increasing downforce. Perhaps most notable of all is the delicious set of vortex generator louvres, which sit on an aluminium structure that replaces the rear windscreen. Better hope the reversing camera is decent.

This panel leads to a pretty much all-new rear end featuring a ducktail spoiler, below which is a redesigned rear diffuser with meaty exhaust outlets pushed to the far ends. At the other end is a carbon fibre ‘blade’ going through the middle of the bonnet, and a new front bumper featuring a low splitter with some neat winglets.

Prolific use of carbon fibre for the bodywork along with forged wheels and a lighter 12-volt battery help drop the weight figure by 38kg. want to trim the fat further? There are some carbon fibre wheels on the options list which shed 3.7kg from the 812’s unsprung mass.

The cabin doesn’t look to deviate too much from the 812, although it has adopted what Ferrari refers to as an “H-gate theme” on the transmission tunnel, which has nothing to do with manual gearboxes. Sorry.

Shifting is still done via a set of column-mounted paddle-shifters, which control a fettled version of Ferrari’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Swap cogs fast enough, and 0-62mph arrives in a very specific 2.85 seconds, while the top speed is “more than 211mph”. So, 212?

There’s no indication on the UK price, but elsewhere in Europe, it’s €499,000 for the coupe and €578,000 for the convertible. Ferrari will make 999 of the former with deliveries starting at the beginning of 2022, and 599 units of the latter with deliveries commencing by the fourth quarter of that year. Both versions are sold out.