Okay, perhaps calling a unicorn is a tad bit misleading, but from it's as close to being rare and magical as I can imagine. Perhaps the younger me who's lived his childhood through watching cartoons of anthropomorphic characters might not be so easily convinced. Yet, there I was two days ago, eyes glazing at the sight of this magnificent red beast charging across to the horizon. Just like a unicorn, it's a rare sight, and something the lucky few will ever get to see, let alone ride on it.
As you might've read in a post I made some days ago, my recent absence was due to having needed to complete the tedious paperwork for my younger brother's scholarship. He's yet to complete the first month of his Diploma so far, and this has by far been the biggest challenge yet. It involved getting loads of documentation and signatures done, and this meant needing to drive around a lot.
It's the most I've driven in a while, so the tiresome anxiety in my heart was indeed very heavy. It left me driving around in a sour mood, until I went on my (hopefully) final drive to the university campus to hand-in all the forms, and then I saw... This magical unicorn. It's none other than a Ferrari 812 Superfast, the flagship of the stable, or the patriarch of the family, you can say.
The Loudest, Angriest Of Unicorns.
Credits to: Ferrari 812 Review - Car and Driver | A wild unicorn emerges!
On that fairly busy afternoon, the highway was mostly filled with loads of boring cars, zipping along lorries and vans carrying vital goods to keep society running. A rather dull and common sight, until this Fezza - as the Brits call it - stormed past me, leaving a trail of that rich, sonorous V12 orchestra in its wake. It's a rather unimaginative name, but it was indeed super, super-fast! As far as unicorns go, this isn't something your child wants to cuddle and take a ride to wonderland.
No, this is an angry, loud unicorn that gobbles the remains of dinosaur fossils in the gallons. Under its long bonnet, there is a big, naturally-aspirated V12 - because why put a turbo to muffle all that noise - with 6.5-litres of thirst, and 789-horsepower to make even the most experienced drivers scream in terror. This is built by Ferrari merely to continue a long and storied tradition stretching back to its roots in 1947, as a homage to all those big grand-tourers that came before it.
The 812 is a continuation of a bloodline to the so called 'gentlemen's cruiser' - pushing past thresholds of speed and performance, in optimal comfort without even breaking a sweat. Alongside the GTC4Lusso - and its sunken predecessor, the FF - the 812 could very well be among the last of the big V12s. Emission and sound regulations are surely to relegate such wonderful pieces of machinery to the grave, something future generations will only hear in the hush whispers of fairy-tales and history books.
Credits to: Ferrari 812 Review - Car and Driver | Enjoy the sound!
We can at least take solace in that Ferrari's engineers are working hard to keep the V12s alive in a cleaner, quieter future. Despite some of the nay-say going around, I'm optimistic that we can still see at least one more generation of naturally-aspirated V12 engines to drown us in their creamy, smooth power-delivery, monstrous torque, and orgasmic sounds.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the peak of motoring pleasure. As I was driving - and my mum couldn't be too bothered with 'some red car' - I couldn't take a picture. To be fair, I was driving at speeds which are not at all comfortable in my old jalopy, and certainly above the speed-limit just to keep up with this 812. It's quite a rare sight as you don't see a lot of Ferraris around here, and certainly not the most expensive one in production.
Malaysia has rather high import taxes for cars not built in Asia, so a Made-In-Italy supercar is adding a huge premium to its already lofty, $400,000 MSRP. Moreover, we have to contend with paying a yearly-road tax that is dependent on your engine-displacement, thus a 6,500cc engine would ask you to pay RM17,880 to the government. That equates to about $4,200, which isn't expensive for someone who can afford a 'Rari, but still a huge chunk of change.
Credits to: Ferrari 812 Review - Car and Driver | Enjoy these lovely photos courtesy of Car and Driver, and Michael Simari.
Plus, this particular example of the 812 wasn't the default configuration, as it had plenty of factory-optional goodies to make it even more pricey. To make it up for not having taken a single photo, I could at least find some comparable shots on the internet. Firstly, it had a full carbon-fibre exterior kit, which covers the front-splitter, side-skirts, and rear-diffuser. This is mostly aesthetic, and it can be somewhat inconvenient too, since carbon-fibre scratches and cracks easily.
The alternative would be seeing painted body-panels, or plastic pieces, which honestly isn't all too bad. With full carbon, putting it that far down an already low car is surely asking for it to be curbed, beached, or scraped on the fairly tall speedbumps we have here. It'll also cost a pretty penny to fix, and after using a price-list I've found online for all the options, all that carbon-fibre costs an additional $38,000.
Yikes... And assuming the driver also opted for the interior trim panels and seats to be carbon-fibre'd, that'll put the total to nearly $60,000! Mind-boggling, with those extras alone being more than what ordinary people like you and I spend on an entire car. Another neat little extra that I noticed on its rear-end - least of all the shiny carbon'd rear-diffuser - is an Italian Tricolore stripe, just above the "Ferrari" script.
Credits to: Reddit | This here is very similar to what I saw, albeit in a richer shade of red. Black wheels, shiny carbon-fibre rear-diffuser, and notice the tiny Italian tricolour flag on the boot-lid?
This too is an option, for this small piece of what I can assume to be enamelled metal, I wouldn't be surprised if it costed at least four-digits. It's no wonder why Ferrari supposedly makes a profit of roughly $80,000 on each car it sells. While I've only seen this 812 very briefly at a few blinks of my weary eyes, that small glimpse was enough to enrapture my soul.
That sharp, aggressive bodywork, and the howl of its volcanic V12 is just superb in every way possible. It excites every car enthusiast, regardless of their personal tastes. There's no denying that Ferrari injects something magical in their cars, and even compared to the most exotic and charming of Italian carmakers, nothing competes on the same level of a Prancing Horse. Their technical expertise is another noteworthy aspect, from turbocharging, hybridisation, and no doubt to the oncoming silent wrath of electrification.
The Final Countdown.
As I summarised in the final paragraphs of my previous post on the FF and GTC4Lusso, the 812 joins them in the ranks of the dying breed. This is the final evolution of a powertrain that has long remained pure, absolute, and unadulterated. If this is their last breath, then it's certainly a grand way to go out. May the V12s reign forever, and if you're feeling a bit sad by this, then enjoy some artwork by the mighty fine @doze, who's made these lovely Jaguars just for me.
Well, this sounds like a surprise waiting to happen! It's hard to choose a favourite, but depends on the car. Either Ferrari's Rosso Corsa, Maserati's Victory Blue, or Aston Martin's Almond Green 😁.
— Zack Norman (@zacknorman97) July 8, 2020
You have the best tastes, so I'll let you choose! pic.twitter.com/SQeeH395ZM
I hadn't commissioned it at all, but he asked me on a Twitter thread as to what colours I most loved for cars. I quickly answered with my three favourites - Ferrari's Rosso Corsa, Maserati's Victory Blue, and Aston Martin's Almond Green. These are three famous, historic shades of racing colours from three very different carmakers. Yet, here's Doze's artistic wonder, painting this on an equally magnificent Jaguar E-Type 'Project 8'. What a lovely tribute, one that he's refused to share, so I'm doing it for him. Enjoy :-)
Credits to: @doze
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Amazing post :)
!discovery 35
Thank you so much for the support as always, @delilhavores and @discovery-it :-D At least this time, the Ferrari's fate isn't a bad one, eh? XD
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You're too modest, mate! I've always enjoyed your magnificent illustrations. Also, I've made a small mistake in the post, and just want to update it here. That Jaguar is a Project 7 based on the F-Type, not the Project 8, which is the large four-door saloon. Oops...
Here's the Project 7 (top), and Project 8 (bottom) just for comparison's sake. Both are pretty awesome cars though, and they sound even naughtier :-D
Well... I have to confess lol I'm a ZERO about cars eheheh
Ah, you say that... But you've just happened to choose the Project 7, which in itself is one of the most amazing sports cars of our time. This isn't a flashy car that regular people can shout about like any old Lambo, Ferrari, or McLaren. This Jaguar is a proper enthusiasts' car, and only one with a keen eye knows what it is. That's you, right there... This magnificent fellow right here 👆
Eheheh 🤪
Here's my Twitter #POSH link :-D
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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/zack-n-68b74519a_i-saw-a-red-scary-and-angry-unicorn-the-activity-6688113570514907136--ZuE