DRIVES46
Few automotive
experiences
result in
adrenaline
flowing like a
river as much as
when exploring
the outer edges
of capability
offered by these
two monsters.Wherever we went in working-class Italy, the two abra-
sively loud, brash supercars were greeted with an enthusi-
asm fueled by national pride. On the open road, however,
the texting, smoking, and otherwise brain-dead lemmings
behind the wheel weren’t prepared for a combined 1,548 hp
approaching at warp speed. Best to escape to the hinterlands,
then, where traffic tends to be light and corners outnumber
straights 99 to 1.
High above Pistoia, in the heart of wild boar country
northwest of Florence, the time has finally come to fully
arm our weapons. In the SVJ, the right index finger lifts the
red cage door that protects the hell-breaks-loose button.
In the 812, the red start-stop activator sits within thumb’s
reach on the busy steering wheel.
The Ferrari engine responds with vigor to the starter
button, boosts idle speed for a few seconds to substantiate
its wildest-horse-in-the-corral claim, then begins playing a
symphony written for four camshafts and 48 valves. The
Lamborghini V-12 first needs to remember its firing order
before it’s ready for screaming and shivering action. A
stumbling syncopation develops as the idle speed eventually
manifests itself, noisily clearing its many throats. A brief
pull at the right paddle engages first, forcing the seemingly
stray parts to act in unison.
In Auto and Sport mode, the 812’s transmission shies away
from high revs to the point that a vintage Giulia Super feels
angrier and more committed. In Manual mode, however,
the rev symphony duly spirals gear by gear, rising from the
underhood orchestra pit with a recurrent deafening roll of
timpani. When pushed, both sports cars can be as noisy
as the law permits, but the Superfast avoids the harmonic
oscillation of the Aventador, which makes the Lamborghini’s
completely cluttered and thus largely useless rear window
vibrate hard in its weather strips.
The Lambo V-12 throttle response feels like a push-button
release for simultaneous thunder and lightning. So better
think twice before deactivating ESP because all it takes
to suddenly face mayday antics is a damp patch or two, a
hard shoulder peppered with wet leaves, or an unforeseen
imperfection in the road. All-wheel drive helps, but the torque
split favors the rear wheels, and because the differential’s
locking action can be unpredictable, traction and grip are at
times no more than random surprises. On slow and winding
turf, critical handling attitudes include snap oversteer and
sharp understeer, both without any escape button.
The 812 Superfast, which we just last month dubbed a
2019 Automobile All-Star, encourages its driver to push ever
deeper into tight bends, to test the limits of lateral acceler-
ation, to lay into the throttle with vigor when appropriate,
and to use steering and the gas pedal to gently adjust the
car’s delicate cornering balance. In second gear, the Ferrari
willingly lights impromptu bonfires close to the apex. In
third, the engine has oodles of oomph from one braking
zone to the next. In fourth, short straights are inhaled as
a whole without pausing for breath. In Race, full-throttle
upshifts are so rogue it almost hurts, and the brakes are
simply sensational in terms of modulation, performance,
and repeatability.