How on earth, wonders Steve Sutcliffe in Evo magazine, do you replace a car like the Ferrari F12, which was surely one of the greatest front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports cars there has ever been? Answer: with this £253,000 Ferrari 812 Superfast. It certainly lives up to its name. There is an even-bigger V12 under the bonnet, which delivers an "eye-watering" 789bhp, a top speed of 212mph and a 0-124mph time of just 7.9 seconds.
Yet to drive it feels lighter and more agile than you would ever believe possible from a car weighing in at over one and a half tonnes, adds Sutcliffe, and it even feels friendly, with enough electronic safety systems to keep you out of the undergrowth if you are too heavy on the throttle. It is hard to imagine anything else at any price feeling any faster or better to drive: this is an "almighty piece of work", in a league of its own.
You'd expect it to be "superfast" on the track, say Paul Hudson and Myles Burke in The Daily Telegraph. But even on the road, it is "simply mighty". Driving through congested towns the 812 is "so benign it's almost anti-climactic". Escape to the hills and let it off the leash, however, and "it's an entirely different beast, a snarling, crackling road-burner that commands respect". Never has it been easier to award a car five out of five stars.
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As well as being "crazy fast", Ferrari has built in more comfort, more civility and more luxury inside and out, says Auto Express. It's still "intimidating" to drive, but also useable, with even more driver appeal. "It really is one heck of a car."
Price: from £253,004.Engine: 6,496cc, V12 petrol, rear-wheel drive.Power: 789bhp at 8,500rpm.Torque: 530lb ft at 7,000rpm.Top speed: 212mph0-62mph: 2.9 secondsFuel economy: 18.9mpg
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