International first drive: Ferrari 812 Competizione

Piliferous poet Scroobius Pip once said “You see a mousetrap, I see free cheese and a challenge” and after driving the Ferrari 812 Competizione, I understand what he meant.

Apathy has no reward because it requires no action, whereas hard things hold the potential for great satisfaction – even if they look a bit dicey.

In this particular analogy, imagine the cheese is the latest in Ferrari’s line of exclusive special-edition front-engined V12 sportscars and the trap is the Fiorano test track in the pissing rain. Intimidated, I was.

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Take for example, the new Competizione’s ancestors; the F12 tdf was a wild iteration of the front-engined, rear-drive coupe that was a handful at the best of times, and before that, the 599 GTO was a savage interpretation of the donor model that really should have been fitted with an ejector seat.

And now the limited-edition Special Series bloodline continues in the form of a car that takes the 812 Superfast as its basis.

What has resulted, however, is not simply a liberal application of stickers and carbon fibre but a comprehensive weaponising program that probably violates the Hague Convention.

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At its heart, the 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 has been extensively revised with titanium con-rods replacing the iron-age versions, connected to a lighter crankshaft. At the top end, different cylinder heads incorporate finger valve lifters in favour of the bucket tappets found in the Superfast, while the entire induction is new with shorter tracts for better performance at higher rpm.

The net result is a truly violent version of the glorious 65-degree V12 that revs freer and faster to a maximum of 9500rpm and will chuck out 610kW and 692Nm at 9250 and 2500rpm respectively.

Number nerds will note that, compared with the Superfast, power is up 22kW but torque is shy by 26Nm. Think of the Competizione like a Christmas present though – its respectable torque is the wrapping paper and box that kids play with, while its incredible power is the true gift for the initiated.

Those who have experienced the savagery of a Ferrari V12 would take care pointing this carbon-tipped missile at any road or track. However, we’re at the Ferrari’s test track in Fiorano – a ribbon that’s as infamous for its narrow unforgiving path as much as it is for the long, long list of legendary cars and drivers that have graced it over the decades. I’m certainly humbled and almost embarrassed to be here but thick clouds are looming and there’s no time for vanity.

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The Competizione is available shod with a choice of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tyres or Pirelli P Zero Corsa but the latter are the only option for a day like today which is struggling to climb past seven degrees with rain forecast. And yes, we have used pictures from a sunnier day where you can actually see the car. With warmish rubber, the coupe’s tail squirms out of the pits and suggests the conditions will allow full power at no point.

However, this Fez is packing a few tricks. For a start, its rear-wheel steering can now operate fully independently and will skew one wheel to find a better line boosting stability in horrid conditions – the effect on the front end is just as remarkable, pointing the nose more eagerly as the rear works its magic.

Then there’s the aero – probably the most significant part of the transformation. Virtually every part of the Competizione’s body was revised including the full-width bonnet blade which not only looks like 3D racing livery, but improves airflow from the radiators and over the roof. New front inlets split air between the brake cooling and inner arches, and there’s more ducting behind the front wheels to extract it.

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At the tail, gills behind the wheel do the job of ostentatious exterior fins but are cleverly concealed, while the entire rear window is deleted in place of lighter materials, vortex generators and a rear-view camera.

The result is 80kg more downforce than the Superfast and jaw-dropping stick. Pushing on into some of Fiorano’s corners requires more grit than I’d been expecting with blind exits, serious day-ending drop-offs and possibly career-ending barriers with zero run-off. But the 812 obliges.

It’s steering is surgically precise and actually takes some getting used to with responsiveness that’s hard to believe. But when the tail inevitably tries to overtake, the front wheels are fast enough to catch anything and slowly build confidence with a feel that rivals McLaren’s hydraulic feedback.

There’s a surprising amount of compliance in the chassis with noticeable lean and dive when the monstrous carbon brakes are called on, but the engineers were able to tune in a beautiful level of suppleness thanks to a weight-loss diet that shredded the Comp down from 1705kg to just 1667kg with dramatic results.

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Notably the acceleration, which is utterly galactic. The blue max-rpm shift-light at the top end of the steering wheel flashes like a Carabinieri cop car – at low speed because the rear tyres are lighting up but above third gear because the engine is capable of gaining speed like a failed anchor winch.

Ferrari claims 100km/h from standstill in less than 2.9 seconds but it’s the speed above 100km/h that is so astonishing and each of the iconic corners approaches with dizzying pace. Another handful of seven-speed dual-clutch is grabbed delivering ferocious gear changes, the electronically controlled diff somehow slaps power to the blacktop and the magnetorheological suspension eats the few lumps I can find.

It takes laps to process everything and it’s an assault on the senses – the ears most of all. Combined with a new exhaust system designed to restore noise despite the inclusion of a particulate filter, the report from the two outboard tailpipes triggers a primal response. It’s not an F1 howl but a Jurassic holler that early people would have certainly fled from.

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Not everything about this car is as easy as listening to it though. It’s a hard car to drive and at one of the hardest tracks I’ve experienced but with perseverance, both start to show their true brilliance. The mannettino dial is switched over from Sport to Race and the car takes on an even more shocking aggressiveness.

If it were a dog it would need a muzzle and a person with the same character would live on Ritalin and most likely in a padded cell. And then it starts to rain.

Had this been the launch of the 812’s predecessors, this event would have been ended early, says Fiorano’s chief test driver Raffaele De Simone but he tells me this car is capable but not suicidal.

“The tdf was hard to drive and slow. The Competizione is hard to drive but fast,” he says, which does nothing for my nerves. In dry conditions, the Competizione has vast reserves of grip provided the accelerator is used gently, but its wet weather grip is almost more surprising.

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With the dial turned to Wet mode the car is incredibly graceful solving any traction or grip problems before they eventuate but in more dry-weather focused modes the car does things that shouldn’t be possible. This is down to a clever ‘self-learning’ SSC 7.0 stability system that can tell if the surface is wet, or dry, or sticky, regardless of whether the driver knows it or not. Sport and Race modes actually have completely different maps and behaviours in the wet and this is one reason all cars are returned to the pits intact despite the prevailing conditions.

When the track falls silent once again I feel I’ve only just started glimpsing what makes this car enormously good. I think it can be tamed but probably not by me and definitely not without many, many laps at the wheel, but this car, nor this track, is supposed to be easy to drive. Perhaps put best by De Simone when referring to the imminent owners lining up to take delivery “If you’re not a good driver, sell it,” he advises.

This track and car are both about an echelon most people can only ever aspire to, the embodiment of excellence and the quest to extract everything the 812 Competizione has to give would be an adventure worth investing in. But like all of the brand’s most exclusive models, to do that you must be invited.

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If you have a place to use it, the invitation in your hand and the driving ability to fully exploit its talents, there is still the matter of cash. Initially, I would have said a starting price of $1,023,838 was a bit steep but it seems I’m wrong because all 999 were already spoken for before the model had been fully confirmed or detailed.

In fact, not one of the customers approached by Ferrari turned down the invitation to own a Competizione.

It would appear that selling a car that’s hard to drive, hard to order and hard to afford is actually very easy.

Ferrari 812 Competizione specs