Ferrari 812 Superfast — The Ultimate Upgrade Guide

The Ferrari 812 Superfast is the last of a breed. A front-engined, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer powered by a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 producing 789bhp — the most powerful naturally aspirated road car engine Ferrari has ever built. In a world that has moved comprehensively toward turbocharged and hybrid powertrains, the 812 represents Ferrari's final, definitive statement about what a naturally aspirated V12 front-engined Ferrari can be.

The numbers are extraordinary. Zero to 62mph in 2.9 seconds. A top speed of 211mph. An engine that revs to 8,900rpm and produces a sound that no turbocharged car has ever come close to replicating. But beyond the numbers, the 812 has a character and a presence that reflects six decades of Ferrari front-engined V12 heritage — a lineage that stretches back through the 599, the 575M, the 550 Maranello, and the original 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

Upgrading an 812 carries the same responsibility as upgrading any Ferrari of this significance — the goal is enhancement of an already extraordinary car, not transformation of something that doesn't need reinventing.

Understanding the 812 Before You Modify It

The Ferrari 812 Superfast was produced from 2017 to 2022 in coupe form, with the 812 GTS spider variant produced alongside it from 2020. The 812 Competizione and Competizione A — limited edition variants with 830bhp, revised aerodynamics, and significant weight reduction — represent the ultimate factory development of this platform and provide the clearest reference point for what enhancement of the 812's character looks like at the highest level.

The coupe and spider share most mechanical architecture and most exterior body geometry, but the spider's different roof structure affects rear body components and means certain exterior upgrades are body-style specific. Always verify your body style when ordering exterior parts.

The 812 Competizione has different front and rear bumpers, a unique aerodynamic package, and revised exterior geometry compared to the standard Superfast — Competizione owners should verify all exterior parts specifically for their variant.

Carbon Fiber Front Splitter and Aero Additions

The 812 Superfast's front end is one of the most visually dramatic on any road car — the long bonnet, the wide lower intake, and the sharply resolved bumper surfaces create a front profile that combines elegance and aggression in the way that only Ferrari's design team achieves consistently. A carbon fiber front splitter addition enhances this front end without disrupting it — extending the lower bumper line and adding front downforce that is meaningful on a car capable of 211mph.

The 812's front aerodynamics were developed carefully by Ferrari's engineers to manage the challenges created by a front-mounted V12 — significant front weight and the need to generate front downforce to balance the rear-biased grip of the wide rear tyres. Any aftermarket front aero addition needs to complement this factory aerodynamic philosophy rather than disrupting it.

Carbon fiber front splitter options for the 812 are available that work with the factory lower bumper section and add a downforce-generating extension below the existing front lip. The best options integrate with the 812's existing front diffuser channels rather than covering them — maintaining the factory aerodynamic function while adding to its effectiveness.

The 812's front bumper geometry differs between the standard Superfast and the Competizione — always verify your specific variant when ordering front end components.

Carbon Fiber Side Skirts

The 812 Superfast's flanks are among its most elegant surfaces — the flowing body sides, the prominent front and rear haunches, and the way the body narrows dramatically at the centre create a grand tourer profile that is immediately recognisable as a front-engined Ferrari. Carbon fiber side skirt extensions follow these lines and visually lower the car, creating a more ground-hugging stance that suits the 812's long, wide proportions.

The 812 is a large car by supercar standards — its front-engined layout and grand tourer proportions give it a wheelbase and overall length that exceeds most mid-engine supercars significantly. This scale means side skirt extensions have a proportionally large visual impact — the 812's long flanks provide a substantial surface for carbon detailing that shorter-wheelbase cars cannot match.

Rear Aero Upgrades

The 812 Superfast's rear end is dominated by its wide haunches, the prominent rear diffuser, and the twin circular exhaust outlets that are one of the car's most distinctive visual signatures. Carbon fiber rear aero additions need to work around these elements rather than competing with them.

A carbon fiber rear diffuser upgrade for the 812 adds visual depth and aerodynamic enhancement to the lower rear section — the factory diffuser is well-proportioned but the exposed carbon weave of an aftermarket replacement adds a race-derived aesthetic that suits the car's performance credentials. The twin circular exhaust outlets create a unique framing challenge for diffuser designs — the best 812 diffusers are developed around these specific outlet positions rather than adapted from other Ferrari models.

Rear spoiler additions for the 812 Superfast require careful consideration of the car's aerodynamic balance. The 812's rear-wheel-drive layout and rear-biased grip mean that rear downforce additions need to be matched with front downforce to maintain the balance Ferrari engineered into the car. Standalone rear spoiler additions without corresponding front aero changes can create an aerodynamic imbalance that affects high-speed stability.

The 812 Competizione's active rear spoiler — a deployable unit that adds rear downforce at speed — provides the factory reference point for appropriate rear aero enhancement on this platform. Aftermarket fixed rear spoilers that complement rather than replace this active system are the most appropriate choice for road-registered 812s.

Exhaust Upgrades — The V12 Unleashed

The Ferrari 812 Superfast's naturally aspirated V12 produces one of the most celebrated exhaust sounds in contemporary motoring. Like the 458's V8 before it, the 812's V12 needs only to be heard properly — the character is already extraordinary, the factory exhaust simply restricts it more than the engine deserves.

A high-flow sports cat exhaust system for the 812 removes the primary restriction from the V12's exhaust path and allows the engine to breathe more freely across its entire rev range. The acoustic result is transformative — the V12's mid-range roar becomes more present and more intense, the top-end scream approaching 8,900rpm becomes genuinely dramatic, and the character of the engine at every point in the rev range is sharpened and made more vivid.

A quality cat-back system further removes restriction between the catalysts and the exhaust outlets. On the 812 the exhaust routing from the front-mounted V12 back to the rear outlets is more complex than on mid-engine cars — the longer exhaust path creates more opportunities for restriction and correspondingly more headroom for improvement through aftermarket upgrading.

Full titanium exhaust systems are available for the 812 and represent the ultimate acoustic and performance upgrade for owners building serious high-performance cars. The weight saving of a titanium system over the factory stainless setup is significant — particularly relevant on a front-engined car where front-end weight reduction directly improves balance and handling. The acoustic improvement of a full titanium system on the 812's V12 is extraordinary — harder, more metallic, and more intense at every point in the rev range.

Professional installation is essential for 812 exhaust modifications. The front-engine layout and the complex exhaust routing required to bring the exhaust gases from the front of the car to the rear outlets make this a significantly more involved job than exhaust installation on a mid-engine car.

Carbon Fiber Bonnet

The 812 Superfast's long bonnet is one of its most distinctive proportional elements — the extended front section that accommodates the V12 creates a profile that is immediately identifiable as a front-engined Ferrari. A carbon fiber bonnet replacement saves significant weight from the front of the car — removing mass from a position ahead of the front axle that directly improves the 812's front-to-rear weight distribution and handling balance.

The weight saving of a carbon bonnet on the 812 is more performance-relevant than on most cars because of the V12's front mounting position. The 812's front-heavy weight distribution — inherent in any front-engined layout — is partially mitigated by carbon bonnet weight reduction in a way that has a direct and measurable effect on turn-in response and steering feel.

Carbon bonnet options for the 812 are available in OEM-style designs that replicate the factory bonnet's contours in exposed carbon, and in Competizione-inspired designs with revised venting and more pronounced surfacing. OEM-style carbon bonnets are the more harmonious choice for road-going 812s. Competizione-inspired designs suit more aggressive builds and reference the factory development path most directly.

Interior Carbon Fiber Upgrades

The 812 Superfast's interior is a beautifully resolved environment — the combination of premium leather, aluminium controls, and Ferrari's characteristic instrument cluster creates a grand tourer cabin that balances luxury and performance focus in the way only Ferrari achieves. Carbon fiber interior upgrades extend this environment, adding the race-derived material language of the Competizione's more extensively carbon-trimmed cabin to the standard Superfast's interior.

Carbon fiber dashboard inserts, centre console panels, door card trim, and steering wheel accents are all available for the 812 and complement the factory interior's existing carbon content — standard on some specification levels and optional on others. For Superfast owners whose cars have leather or Alcantara in areas where the Competizione used carbon, aftermarket carbon replacements bring the interior specification closer to the factory's most extreme version of this car.

Wheels and Suspension

The 812 Superfast's standard wheel and tyre package is well-developed — the combination of 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres provides an excellent balance of grip, feedback, and usability. Aftermarket wheel options for the 812 need to account for its unique front and rear wheel size combination and the specific load ratings required by a car of this weight and performance level.

For track-focused 812 builds, dedicated track tyres on a separate wheel set transform the car's performance ceiling significantly. The V12's power delivery and the rear-wheel-drive layout mean that tyre quality and compound selection have a more direct impact on exploitable performance on the 812 than on all-wheel-drive or less powerful cars.

Suspension upgrades for the 812 follow the same principles as for other Ferrari road cars — the factory magnetorheological damper system is excellent for road use and difficult to improve upon significantly without specific track use requirements. For track-focused builds, coilover conversion options are available that provide the consistency and adjustability the factory adaptive system cannot match over multiple hard track sessions.

What Every 812 Owner Should Know Before Buying Parts

The 812 Superfast is a large, complex, and powerful car whose front-engined layout creates different parts compatibility considerations than most supercars in our catalog. Its long wheelbase, unique exhaust routing, and front-engine-specific aerodynamic requirements mean that parts developed for mid-engine Ferraris will not translate to the 812 without significant modification.

The distinction between the standard Superfast, the GTS spider, the Competizione, and the Competizione A is significant for parts compatibility — these variants have meaningful differences in exterior geometry, aerodynamic specification, and body structure that affect fitment directly. Always specify your exact variant when enquiring about 812 parts.

At Velocity Car Parts all Ferrari 812 parts are verified for variant-specific fitment and backed by our fitment guarantee. Browse our full Ferrari 812 collection and upgrade your 812 with confidence.