In what might be the most significant changing of the guard since the Queen handed over to Charles, Ferrari has replaced its mighty 812 with something called the 12 Cilindri.

And while that name might sound like something you'd order at an overly pretentious Italian restaurant, it represents something rather important: potentially the last pure, non-hybrid V12 Ferrari we'll ever see.

The Numbers Game

Let's start with the raw figures, because they're properly mad. The 812 GTS produces 789 horsepower from its 6.5-liter V12, revving to an already ridiculous 8,900 rpm.

The 12 Cilindri?

It takes that same basic engine, adds titanium connecting rods, lighter pistons, and a Diamond-Like-Carbon coating on its valve gear to produce 819 horsepower at a physics-defying 9,500 rpm.

The Ferrari 12 Cilindri: Design, Engine, Specifications, Top Speed, and more.

In the real world, this means both cars will rearrange your internal organs with equal enthusiasm.

The 812 GTS hits 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, while the 12 Cilindri... well, Ferrari hasn't released exact figures, but given it's lighter and more powerful, let's just say you won't be disappointed.

And it's not just about straight-line speed.

Both cars send their power to the rear wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that shifts faster than you can blink.

In the 812, this gearbox is already a masterpiece - Car and Driver found it could hit 100 mph in 5.8 seconds and demolish the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds at 138 mph.

The 12 Cilindri takes this foundation and adds even more wizardry: 80% of its maximum torque is available from just 2,500 rpm.

This means that whether you're cruising through Monaco or attacking the Fiorano circuit, you've got more pulling power than a gravitational field.

Ferrari's engineers have somehow made an engine that can both potter around town and scream to 9,500 rpm without breaking a sweat. It's like having a ballet dancer who can also win a boxing match.

Design: Evolution vs Revolution

Here's where things get interesting.

The 812 GTS is what happens when you let Italian designers have their morning espresso before work.

It's beautiful in that classic Ferrari way - long hood, short deck, curves in all the right places. It's the Sofia Loren of cars.

The 12 Cilindri, on the other hand, looks like those designers switched to energy drinks. It's all angles and slashes, with a nose that pays homage to the legendary Daytona and a rear end that's sparked more online debates than a cat video.

The entire front end - 'cofango' in Ferrari-speak - tilts forward like a supermodel doing yoga, revealing an engine bay that's more artwork than machinery.

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But it's the details that really set these two apart.

The 812's active aero is cleverly hidden - subtle flaps and ducts that do their work without shouting about it.

The 12 Cilindri, meanwhile, flaunts its technological prowess like a peacock at a disco.

Those black rear aero flaps are impossible to miss, and the front end has not one but two diffusers. Even the underbody is a masterpiece of engineering. It was purpose built to eject and funnel hot air away from the sensitive underbody of the car.

Video: walk around the incredible Ferrari 12 Cilindri, an 820bhp V12 hypercar | Top Gear

Consequently, it looks like Adrian Newey had a go at the design process - proper aero bits these are. Where the 812 is a beautiful car with clever aero, the 12 Cilindri is clever aero sculpted into the shape of a car.

It's the difference between a tailored suit and a spacesuit - both will turn heads, but for entirely different reasons.

Inside Job

The 812's interior is a masterclass in Ferrari GT design - leather everywhere, yellow tachometer, and those lovely aluminum toggle switches.

But the 12 Cilindri takes things to another level.

The cabin is more spacious thanks to a 20mm shorter wheelbase (somehow that makes sense in Ferrari mathematics), and the quality has moved from "very impressive" to "why aren't all cars built like this?"

The Ferrari 12 Cilindri: Design, Engine, Specifications, Top Speed, and more.

The tech interfaces tell their own story of evolution.

The 812's yellow rev counter remains a centerpiece, but it's surrounded by what now feels like a relatively restrained digital setup.

The 12 Cilindri, by comparison, goes full Star Trek with no fewer than three screens: a 15.5-inch digital cluster for the driver, a 10.25-inch central display, and an 8.8-inch passenger screen, because apparently in 2025, even your passenger needs a screen.

The materials have evolved too - yes, both cars are draped in enough leather to make a cow farmer wince, but the 12 Cilindri adds details like dark aluminum fixings and carbon fiber that's used as structure rather than decoration.

Ferrari 812 GTS Interior | Inside the Convertible 812 Superfast

The 812's cabin is like a fine Italian restaurant; the 12 Cilindri's is like that same restaurant after the owner's son came back from design school with "fresh ideas."

And somehow, remarkably, both approaches work.

Both cars are technological tours de force, but the 12 Cilindri adds some proper witchcraft.

The chassis is 15% stiffer than the 812's, uses more recycled aluminum (Ferrari going green? What next?), and features active aero flaps that automatically adjust between 38 and 186 mph.

Above that speed, they lock into low-drag mode because, obviously, you're going for a top speed run.

Driving Experience

The 812 GTS is already a masterpiece of controlled chaos.

It's a car that makes you feel like a hero while simultaneously reminding you that it could end your career as a functioning human being at any moment.

The steering is quick enough to make a caffeinated squirrel feel relaxed, and the acceleration is... well, let's just say it's robust.

The 12 Cilindri, according to Ferrari, is meant to be more approachable. It's still monumentally fast, but the chassis improvements and refined aerodynamics make it less likely to remind you of your mortality.

It's like they've taken everything that made the 812 spectacular and added a dash of civility.

Think Mike Tyson in a Savile Row suit.

Both of these cars have enough computing power to launch a small space program.

The 812 introduced Ferrari's Virtual Short Wheelbase - which is marketing speak for four-wheel steering - and a suite of electronic systems that attempt to keep you from becoming an unwitting YouTube sensation.

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The Side Slip Control alone is clever enough to make you feel like a driving god while simultaneously saving you from your own enthusiasm.

But the 12 Cilindri takes this electronic wizardry and turns it up to 12. The chassis doesn't just use recycled aluminum; it employs larger cast elements and fewer pieces overall - 17 castings compared to the 812's 22.

Perhaps most impressively, all this technology works in harmony rather than fighting itself.

The Verdict

The 812 GTS is a masterpiece, a car that perfectly encapsulates what a Ferrari GT should be.

It's beautiful, ridiculous, and slightly terrifying - everything you want from Maranello.

But the 12 Cilindri? It's all that and more.

Is it better?

Yes, objectively it is.

But that's like saying high-definition television is better than the classics - technically true, but missing the point entirely.

The 812 GTS is the end of an era, the last of the old-school Ferrari GTs. The 12 Cilindri is the future, proving that progress doesn't have to mean compromise.

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And thank goodness for that.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go sell my house, my organs, and possibly my soul. I hear there's a 12 Cilindri allocation available...