Ferrari's New Hardcore 812 Named After Famous Race Track

Apr. 13, 2021 7:15 AM ET by Martin Bigg Supercars / 3 Comments

And it could debut next week.

Ferrari is giving its sublime naturally-aspirated V12 engine a special sendoff with a new hardcore version of the 812 Superfast. Ferrari's new 812 Superfast variant was expected to be called the 812 GTO before Ferrari's chief marketing officer, Enrico Galliera, referred to the car as the "812 Versione Speciale," which is Italian for "812 Special Version."

Now, members of the FerrariChat forum are claiming the new 812 Superfast will be called the 812 Imola, named after the famous Italian race track of the same name.

Naming the most hardcore, track-focused version of the 812 Superfast after a race track makes a lot of sense, but there is a lot of evidence supporting this theory. According to the forum, Ferrari registered a domain name for "812imola.com" in Italy back in June 2020 in preparation for the car's reveal. The 812 Imola is also expected to debut on April 22 just a few days after the Italian Grand Prix, which is held at the Imola circuit.

Allegedly, coupe and spider versions of the 812 Imola will be revealed at the same time, with production capped at 1,200 units combined.

Power is expected to be sourced by the same naturally-aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine uprated from 789 horsepower to 850 hp. It will also reportedly rev up to over 9,000 rpm, so it should sound ear-splittingly good. Leaked photos have shown the hardcore 812 Superfast will have more aggressive aero, including a vented roof replacing the rear glass, a new hood intake, and a larger rear diffuser.

Inevitably, these enhancements will increase the price of the 812 Imola. For reference, the 812 Superfast starts at $335,000 for the coupe and $363,730 for the GTS convertible. If the debut is only a few weeks away, Ferrari will likely release some teasers before the official reveal. So keep an eye out for these.