A speedy Ferrari 812 Superfast, seen in the Lidu area in east-central Beijing in the summer of 2019. The 812 looked perfect in the hot sun, painted in a fiery shade of red, with darkened windows, and darkened headlight vizors.
These parking places were operated by a nearby upscale restaurant, and guards only allowed expensive cars to park there, so it was one of my favorite car-spotting spots in the area. The cones are to block uninvited cars.
The 812 Superfast was sold on the Chinese supercar market from 2017 until 2023. The car that I saw is an early 2017-2018 example, recognizable by the typical matte gray alloy wheels with red brake calipers.
In 2017, the price in China started at a super steep 4.86 million yuan. That was around $752.300! That was a lot of money even for China, so these 812 Superfast supercars are very rare.
However, it was probably worth every fen. The 812 Superfast was a front-mid engine rear-wheel drive supercar. Power came from a naturally aspirated 6.4 liter V12 engine with an output of 789 hp and 718 Nm. It was super fast with a 0-100 of 2.9 seconds and a 340 km/h top speed. The 812 Superfast was succeeded by the Ferrari 12Cilindri in 2024.
It had a black interior with a gray center console. The flappy pedals control the 7-speed DCT gearbox. The most famous design detail of the interior is the pod with 3 buttons between the seats. The buttons are for (top to bottom): reverse, auto, and launch. Note the one-yuan banknotes in the storage area. Even until the late 2010s, every driver had low-denomination banknotes in his/her car to pay for parking. Nowadays, that’s all paid for by app or completely automatic.
The rear is probably the best-looking part of the 812 Superfast, with air vents, a large window that shows the engine, an integrated spoiler, round lights, twin pipes, and a big diffuser.
The 812 Superfast badge with Superfast in red.
The mirror covers are painted in body color, customers could also spec black covers. Note the ’81CF2′ license plates, that can’t be a coincidence! On the left is a Mercedes-Benz E-Class L sedan, one of many China-only long-wheelbase cars. More supercars from China soon!