Ferrari’s 812 Superfast selling sight unseen

CUSTOMER response for Ferrari’s latest V12-powered supercar, the 812 Superfast, has reached never-before-seen levels, having already exceeded sales expectations for its life-cycle despite just arriving in Australia.

Speaking to GoAuto at the Australian launch of the 812 Superfast in Melbourne this week, Ferrari Australasia CEO Herbert Appleroth said the demand for the F12 replacement was like nothing he had seen.

“The 812 Superfast has been the most successful pre-launch of any Ferrari in our history in Australia,” he said.

“Essentially, we have pre-sold 1.5 times what we expected the entire life-cycle volume to be.”

While Mr Appleroth was not willing to divulge exact pre-order numbers, the response is significant given the 812’s $610,000 pricetag, and the fact it has generated greater sales interest than more affordable models such as the bi-turbo V8-powered 488 GTB.

Part of the 812’s unprecedented interest could be attributed to its powerplant – a new, high-revving, naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 that pumps out a tyre-shredding 588kW/718Nm – the most powerful internal combustion engine in Maranello’s history.

With ever-tightening fuel and emissions regulations, atmo V12s are slowly being consigned to the record books, as shown by models such as the upcoming Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII, which will drop its aspirated 6.7-litre V12 for turbocharged power.

Given Ferrari’s innate ties to the V12, the Superfast could potentially be one of the last models to feature such an integral part of Ferrari’s identity.

“We are the only brand, since its inception, that has always used a V12, without falter,” said Mr Appleroth.

“V12 is Ferrari, it’s in our DNA. I think people appreciate the technology that we are able to bring to market in a V8, and other brands bring in their own technology, so I think people truly appreciate the tradition of the supercar, which is Ferrari, and the tradition of the Ferrari supercar which is V12.

“We’re a young country, we have a very strong car culture, and a very strong willingness to hold on to the past... It’s obviously hit a note with consumers around the world, not just Australia, because we’ve never seen a response like this.”

Mr Appleroth also alluded to the fact that Australia is currently in the midst of a “supercar boom”, where there exists a large number of customers with enough disposable income to afford vehicles such as the 812 Superfast.

The prancing horse brand has experienced a slight uptick in sales so far in 2017, recording 79 sales to the end of May – an increase of 8.2 per cent over the 73 it achieved to the same point last year.

With the arrival this year of the 812 Superfast and FF-replacing GTC4Lusso, with which Ferrari is hoping to poach SUV owners from other brands, a further sales increase is to be expected.

At the GTC4Lusso launch last week, Mr Appleroth said he expected the vehicle to take up a double-digit percentage of Ferrari’s overall sales for the first time.

The initial deliveries of the 812 Superfast are expected to commence in December.