FERRARI 812 SUPERFAST

Roar, for Rs 5.2 crore

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While there are several English, German, American and Japanese sports cars that come with V12, 6.0-plus litre engines, Italian manufacturer Ferrari stand out for making the most powerful and extraordinarily handsome cars, owned by some of the world’s elite. Ask anybody who owns a Ferrari or has driven one what appeals most to them, and nine out of ten will tell you it is the roar of the engine and its sheer performance.

And, now, from the stable of the Prancing Horse comes its fastest street car to India. The 812 Superfast comes with a 6.5 litre, 800hp, naturally aspirated, petrol V12 engine. The ‘8’ in the 812 is 800 (789) hp and ‘12’ refers to the car’s V12 front engine. Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, it can go from 0-100km in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 340kmph.

The Ferrari 812 Superfast debuted at the Geneva Motor Show last year, and was unveiled in Delhi recently. It is designed on their famous sporty coupe, Berlinetta, meaning “little saloon” in Italian. Ferrari popularised the Berlinetta back in the 1930s, and several other carmakers famously followed suit. You may also remember the Berlinetta from the 1984 Hollywood teen comedy, Ferris Buller’s Day Off, where the lead plays truant and convinces his friend to borrow his father’s rare Ferrari 1961 California GT.

Boasting an aggressive and aerodynamic design, the two-seater 812 Superfast is wide and beautifully long-nosed. This appeals to some because it is great fun throwing such cars around corners and testing their agility. Ferraris, always eager for driver input, behave beautifully even at the slightest throttle response, and going by the engine specs of this car, we just cannot wait to get behind the wheel. The interiors of the Ferrari 812 Superfast, also seem clean and non-fussy.

Available in India for a cool Rs 5.2 crore (ex-showroom), it would be a sin to buy it in any other colour except the rosso corsa or racing red. Maybe, it is also time for Ferris Buller’s Day Off Redux. This time with an 812 Superfast, perhaps?