Maranello, Italy - Hot on the heels of the open-top F8, Ferrari is releasing yet another venomous 'spider' into the wild, and this also happens to be the world’s most potent series production spider (AKA roadster), according to the Italian marque.
The new 812 GTS is closely related to the 812 Superfast tin-top, and it is Ferrari’s first series production front-engined V12 open top vehicle in 50 years, although technically there have been a few limited editions that fit the bill, such as the SA Aperta and F60 America.
Like its smaller F8 sibling, the 812 GTS uses Ferrari’s Retractable Hard Top roof design, and the mechanism can do its opening and closing trick in just 14 seconds, and at speeds of up to 45km/h. Furthermore, the electric rear screen acts as a wind-stop, making the car “truly useable” with the top down. It can also be left open when the top is up, giving you front row tickets to that beastly V12 concert.
Now that we’re talking engines, the 812 GTS is powered by the same normally aspirated 6496cc V12 that powers the 812 Superfast. Packing a 350 bar direct injection system and F1-style variable geometry intake tracts among many technical highlights, the engine shunts out 588kW at a heady 8500rpm and 718Nm from 7000 revs - although 80 percent of the latter is available from 3500rpm.
The 812 Spider will launch it from 0-100km/h in three seconds flat, according to Ferrari, which makes it just one tenth of a second slower than the Superfast, while 200km/h comes up in 8.3 seconds and the top speed is quoted as “over 340km/h”.
A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends all that power to the rear wheels, while the company’s Side Slip Control and Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 systems are in place to keep things tidy in the corners.
There’s a comprehensive aerodynamic package in place too, which includes a triplane wing in the rear diffuser. This compensates for the downforce lost by the removal of the 812 Superfast’s rear wheel arch by-pass duct - something Ferrari needed to do in order to fit the retractable hard top.
A unique design touch is the pair of buttresses beneath which the roof movement mechanism is stowed. The buttresses were designed to visually embody a sense of forward thrust and lend the side windows a “signature look that would set the spider apart from the berlinetta”, as Ferrari puts it. The GTS is further set apart by model-specific 20-inch wheels.
