Ferrari reveals mystery 812 as the Competizione

FERRARI’S new mystery 812 variant has been outed as the Competizione; a lightened, more powerful and more focused version of the already rabid Superfast which is set to be available in both coupe and targa body styles.

Revealed overnight in Maranello, the 812 Competizione twins will only be made available to “a very exclusive group of collectors and enthusiasts of the most noble of Ferrari traditions” with their sole intention being to deliver one of the most raw and engaging V12 driving experiences possible.

As previously reported by GoAuto, the Competizione dials every element of the 812 Superfast up to 11 with the first indication of its more potent personality being the styling which makes it look more like a homologated racecar than a focused grand tourer.

With the body made almost entirely of carbon-fibre, Ferrari says the 812 has been given an “aerodynamic redesign” in the name of increasing downforce and helping the special edition carve out its own unique identity.

At the front, the main air dam has been made wider, the chin extends lower and flaunts a new splitter while the air channels skirting the inside of the headlights are gone as a result of the new bonnet.

The new splitter is complemented down the flanks of the car by a matching set of carbon side skirts while the standard 20-inch alloy wheels have been swapped out for a set of all-carbon units.

At the rear, the integrated lip spoiler has been extended with the whole package sitting lower to the ground.

In the place of the standard version’s rear window is a slatted piece of aluminium, the air vents adorning the boot lid are gone and the rear apron is dominated by a new full-width diffuser.

Under that new, more aerodynamic bonnet resides an uprated version of Ferrari’s familiar 6.5-litre V12 petrol engine which has been tuned in this instance to develop 610kW of power at a screaming 9250rpm and 692Nm of torque at 7000rpm, comfortably making it the most powerful road-going internal-combustion engine the brand has produced to date.

For reference, the standard 812 develops 588kW/718Nm.

The redline has also been pushed higher from 8900rpm to 9500rpm.

As with the standard car, the Competiziones use the rear wheels to harness their power with drive sent via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

When all is said and done, Ferrari says the limited-edition lightweights will sprint from 0-100km/h in 2.85 seconds, 0-200km/h in 7.5 seconds and push on to a top speed of more than 340km/h.

While the industry standard sprint may not be that different to the 812 Superfast (2.85s vs 2.9s), it’s on the way to the double tonne that the Competiziones make their extra kilowatts and 38kg weight advantages count, shaving almost half a second off their donor vehicle’s time.

To help haul them back up again, the lightweights have been fitted with the same ‘aero’ front brake callipers as the SF90 Stradale, clamping 398x38mm discs up front while the rear callipers grab slightly smaller 360x32mm rotors.

With more stopping power comes a greater need for better thermal management and so engineers have completely reworked and upgraded the brake ducting and cooling systems which work in tandem with the enhanced aerodynamics of the car.

Sharper handling responses both on the road and track are guaranteed through the fitment of the brand’s first-ever independent all-wheel-steering system while the new seventh-generation Side Slip Control system helps keep the bespoke Michelin Cup2R tyres in check along with the electronic limited-slip differential.

Whereas the exterior looks menacing and track-ready, the interior of the Competizione has been left largely untouched with the biggest changes being the lightened door panels and gear-gate centre console.

“The new model is the ultimate expression of Ferrari’s concept of an extreme front-engined berlinetta, honing the characteristics of the critically acclaimed 812 Superfast to a level never seen before,” Ferrari said last month in a statement.

“The result is a car that encapsulates and epitomises the company’s 70-plus years of experience on the world’s circuits, drawing on its thoroughbred sportscar DNA to deliver a perfect marriage of performance, form, and function.”

It remains to be seen exactly how many Competiziones of either body style materialise however we can be reasonably sure not many of them will be headed Down Under.