Ferrari 812 GTS, Ferrari’s first series-production V12 convertible in 50 years
After a 50-year hiatus, the front-engined, convertible V12 Ferrari is back. This is the new Ferrari 812 GTS.
The 812 GTS is essentially an 812 Superfast with the fixed roof thrown away, and the first front-engined, V12-powered convertible Ferrari since the 365 GTS4 Daytona Spider in 1969. Where that car had a fabric roof you had to haul up and down with your own hands, the 812 GTS makes use of a folding hard-top that moves up or down at the touch of a button, a routine that’s over in just 14 seconds and at speeds of up to 45km/h (28mph).
Of course there have been other convertible V12 GTs since the Daytona. The 550 Barchetta was a 550 Maranello with a removable fabric top, the Superamerica was 575 Maranello with a rotating glass roof, and the SA Aperta was, to all intents and purposes, a 599 GTO with a pull-out fabric panel. All three of those cars, however, were sold in limited numbers. The 812 GTS is a full production model.
Mechanically speaking the 812 GTS is almost identical to the 812 Superfast, the highlight of which is undoubtedly the engine. A naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12, it produces 790 horsepower at 8,500rpm and 718Nm of torque, with 80 per cent of that torque available below 3,500rpm. The redline? A colossal 8,900rpm.
All the power and torque goes to the rear wheels, of course, and via the same seven-speed double-clutch transmission. 0-62mph takes ‘under three seconds’, 0-124mph in 8.3 seconds, and the top speed is 211mph.
The absence of a fixed roof, however, does mean Ferrari has had to tweak both the car’s chassis and its aerodynamic package. The 812 GTS’s magnetorheological dampers have been ‘optimised’ to compensate for a 75kg increase in weight, so the GTS should, according to Ferrari, handle just as well as the Superfast. As for aero, the rear end has had to be redesigned to make room for the roof, and as a result the rear wheel arch by-pass duct has been axed, with lost downforce has been compensated for by a redesigned rear diffuser.
The full price and specification will be revealed soon, but expect to pay a pretty penny. Options for the standard 812 include a £960 Alcantara boot lining, £4,320 carbon door panels and £5,668 forged wheels. Considering the standard 812 will set you back £262,963, expect the GTS, with a few options, to set you back something north of £300,000.