First drive in an 812

Not nimble?
I’m sorry, no disrespect, but I don’t think you were driving it aggressively then.
With 4 wheel steer the turn is extremely sharp, almost too sharp, and after clipping the apex putting your foot down on 800hp will cause it to explode out of the turn. I have a 488 and the 812SF would excite my just as much on twisty roads. You can’t be afraid of it, you need to drive it like a sports car in those settings. It can be a GT car if you like, but it is just as much a sports car.

 

Totally agree. Put it in race and look out…have owned both (but not the f8). Yes the 488 gives you that slammed to the floor go cart feel but the 812 is a blade in the right set up and driving pattern.

 

To each their own, right? I owned a 458 and even though not a 488, I feel the 812SF is another step above in the excitement department. The wail and the noise the V12 makes is like no other. No comparison. I have put my 812 on the track like all others cars I have owned, and it is no slouch. It’s actually quite impressive for a front engine. Yes it’s not a go kart like feel, but I think the 812 will give you both worlds of comfort and then full on beast mode. I call it a Jekyll and Hide. Given the choice again, the 812 is an easy choice.


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I have to chime in.
I have an 812SF and had an 488 Spyder for about a year during the same time.
Have F8s on order.
Two different animals.
812 is GT but beast mode and no sound can compare. While my 488 sounded decent it ran out of breath early where the 812 continues to pull and scream it’s old F1 tune.
488 definitely more go cart feel and driving position.
I can’t live without either.


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100 miles surely isn't enough to form a full opinion on the 812. Unless you've driven numerous miles in rear steer RWD cars, it's going to be a very different feel from really any other RWD car. I also struggle to believe you could push the 812 towards the limits of it's abilities with such little experience unless you are a professional driver and got track time in the car. Hard to judge how nimble a car is unless you really know how to push it, no?

The 812 is a big car, but if you properly employ rear steer you will start to appreciate it's handling. We all have different opinions on what's viscerally exciting, so to each their own. It's viscerally exciting to me to properly hit the apex and wring out the high revving V12 out of the corner only to snap the right paddle and wring it out some more. Sure the mid engine cars are fun, but it's very different. It's so good at tracking/taking corners, it feels robotic, and to me that makes it less exciting. However it's a popular driving feel as there are endless dentists lining up to buy robotic Porsches.

 

I owned a 488 for a year before buying my current 812SF and think the 812 is in a completely different league to the 488. I never gelled with the 488 but find the 812 so much more involving and exciting to drive. For reference I also own a 2019 GT3 RS Weissach which is a scalpel but never feel short changed in my 812.
I think the problem is that quite a few don't get on with the F12/812 due to the initial false impression of lacking agility due the long bonnet and rearward seating position. Once you acclimatise to these you adapt your driving style compared to a 488/F8, its a hugely exciting car to drive fast.
The noise the 812 makes throughout the rev range has ruined the F8 for me personally although I'm really looking forward to driving the 296.

 

driven both on track for two days, 812 feels like a ride on a bullet vs 488 more controlled and precise, in terms of excitement the 812 far exceeded the 488, as mentioned there is certainly a boundary you need to break through, but after that you probably regret what you wished for

 

They are obviously different and behave differently, sound differently. React differently. I’ve been driving 812GTS back to back with F8 on the same roads every day last week , trying to rationalize how I feel about them. They are not comparable to me, the 812 is clearly superior in every way, yet the F8 has more fun factor driving dynamics and looks more aggressive in terms of design and how people around me react to it. The 812 is a very fast GT, no doubt. F8 is an exciting nimble super sports car.

If I had to choose one, the 812 would win without a doubt. Not because it’s better, but because it suits my needs and ticks more off my boxes..

 

I totally agree. I have an 812 and a Pista. I think the GT sensation is the difference between the front mid-engine and the rear mid-engine set up. The long hood in the 812 gives the unmistakable feeling that you are being pulled through turns, while the Pista feels like you are being pushed. That said, the 812 feels super planted and nimble like a proper sports car should. I had a F12 before, and that felt GTish, but Ferrari changed the recipe with the 812.

 

Depends on how you want to use the cars. F8 is faster on a track, 812 more 'engaging' on a road.
If you feel that an 488 is more alive on roads than an 812, you didn't drive the 812 fast enough or rev it.
The 488 you can give anyone the keys too. the 812 is differnt beast.
It does feel like a chubby grizzly bear when you put it in autro mode and not rev it. But punch the throttle and let that V12 sing and the experience changes a whole darn freakin lot! Then that grizzly beart becomes angry; real fast and realy intense.
488/F8 is more nimble. Faster too when you are a great driver, but that should never be the case when driving on public roads. It's all about the experience and engagement and few things beat a V12.

 

The 812 is awesome - and the RWS really makes a big difference in favour of agility. But comparing to a blatantly underpowered 458 is not the way to judge its merits.

 

I cannot speak to the 812/F8 but I own an F12 and 458 and have thousands of miles in each including numerous track days. The F12 does feel "less nimble" to me than the 458 but its just that, a feeling. It is actually quite nimble. In fact my track times are a second better in the F12.

I also get the "not that exciting" bit because the F12 is very smooth and almost boring if you are not getting on it whereas the 458 is exciting at 30 mph.

My guess is the same comparisons are true with the 812 and F8. My guess is the OP was putting around in the 812 and not really getting on it (which I don't blame him because I would do the same thing if I was driving someone else's $500k car).

 

My 812 is the one Ferrari I wouldn't let my 19yr old son drive. He's driven the Roma in Maranello and Portofino M at my dealer because these two cars won't try and kill the unexperienced. The 812SF OTOH is not the Ferrari you let a teenager drive as a first Ferrari because its an absolute animal when unleashed.
IMHO It'll go down in history as one of the greatest Ferraris of all time. I'm slightly biased because I own one but I still firmly believe it ! It makes the hairs at the back of my neck stand up each time I switch to Race and let rip.

 

I get the feeling that the 812 is harder to get the feeling that you are extracting maximum performance, eg its harder to “unlock”, but i imagine once you do its just plain magic!

I think most people can drive a mid engine ferrari and feel superhuman, but game changes on a front engine 800hp ferrari

 

Yup, same here. The F12 and 812 I would never let anyone else drive. Once the revs start coming, so does the agility and insanity.
I thought the 488 is a nice fast go kart. In no way as mesmerizing as a V12.
The 458 is very, very easy to drive as in low gear it’s not a ‘ fast car’ but very predictable and thus easy to drive. It lacks power to be very dangerous.
Of all the Ferrari’s I’ve owned and driving, the V12’s always made the biggest impression on me. The Scuderia and Pista are very visceral as wel, but they have less that ‘ sense of occaision’ .

 

Obviously the OP has not driven the car at even half it's potential.

If indeed he "allegedly" drove the 812 SF on the street in race mode, and drove it hard, he would have known it (as we 812 all owners know) and mentioned having to change his underwear or something else. Because..... the car is an absolute beast. And fast. SCARY fast! You pretty much can run an RS to its limits on the road, the 812 you can't.

(Race mode should never be used off track. I didn't use it on track either- did it once. Never again.)

The 812 is just an absolute thrill on track- the RWS just makes it handle amazingly well for its size/weight. It does as advertised and "shortens" the wheel base. Same lap times with the 812 (over 1000 mi at COTA) and the RS (over 6,000 mi at COTA). They just do it differently. The 812 can keep up with a GT3 RS in the turns and around the carousel. The real fun is that unlike the RS (wing), you feel like you're on the edge of adhesion vs totally planted in the RS. The bigger thrill for me on track was driving the 812. Not parade laps. Going through a new set of pads and tires in one weekend laps.

When you drive an RS on the track, it's actually quite boring. No. Nothing mentioned really compares to an 812.

The biggest difference though is that you can't really enjoy a GT3 RS on the road. It's horrible on the road- just too stiff, too twitchy and uncomfortable. I'm selling mine now that I stopped tracking.

Oh, and the 812 SF is not a GT car, it is a proper sports car. If you want a GT get an Aston or a Bentley.

 

With all due respect, the OP said that the 488/F8 he was comparing too is in the "visceral" department. So, my point of reference was that...but your right, the 488 is quicker than the 458. No argument there.

 

Pretty much this…
I have a similar comparative feeling between the TDF and Speciale. The Speciale is very sharp, nimble, lithe, agile and playful like a cheetah.
The TDF is like a maddening, rabies-bitten bucking bronco on steroids. It is the only car I will not smash the pedal full throttle, as the tail can easily step out even in straight line acceleration with loss of mechanical grip.


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Echoing other posts
458- telepathic steering and throttle and great high revving V8 sound
488- same telepathic steering but throttle response ever so slightly less, decent sound for a turbo V8 but monotonous
F8- andPista- telepathic steering, throttle response close to 458 but the sound-uggh
812SF(preGPF)/ telepathic steering when on it but not quite as sharp as the 4xx cars at lower speeds but the engine- every bit as responsive as the 458 but with a mellifluous sound which has not been equaled IMHO. Same goes for the 812GTS but the sound pitch is a bit lower(love both)
If I had to pick one to own it would be the 812(SF or GTS- your choice)
It thrills,it chills, it’ll eat you,chew you up and spit you out in a hot mess- isn’t it what supercars should do?
And it makes a fine imitation of a GT if it has to


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Regarding race mode i fine it quite manageable on a f430 and 458
Is this a bad idea on an f12 and 812 on the street??

Man all this talk on v12 is making me itchy
But unfortunately they are well out of my price range
Maybe one day …

 

Do you own any of these cars you are talking about? Or simply have just driven them?