2017 marks the 70th Anniversary for the world’s most famous Prancing Horse and in South Africa, the official local celebrations for Ferrari’s milestone centenary was hosted by the official Ferrari dealer-Scuderia South Africa, in Johannesburg on Saturday 14 October.
Locally, the official Ferrari dealer launches its official local celebrations for this milestone anniversary at the renowned Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, where over 100 Ferrari models from across the range will be present for a full day of festivities. The exclusive owner’s track event will be followed by the local Ferrari 70th anniversary procession from Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit through to the Ferrari dealership in Bryanston.
“The official celebrations are a tribute to the Ferrari legacy, as we celebrate 70 years of innovation, craftsmanship and excellence. It is a great honour that we can form part of this iconic milestone in Ferrari’s history.” says Scuderia South Africa CEO, Mervyn Eagles.
The finale of the celebrations will be held at a private gala event at Scuderia South Africa’s state of the art showroom in Bryanston, together with the unveiling of Ferrari’s most powerful production car yet- the 800-cv, 812 Superfast.
The private preview of the of the flagship 812 Superfast is particularly significant, as Ferrari’s noble V12 heritage has its roots in the founding of the company, 70 years ago. Ferrari remains to this day the only manufacturer to have continuously produced sports cars with 12- cylinder engines throughout that time.
The first and most difficult challenge Ferrari always faces when it decides to develop a new model is to push the boundaries of its own achievements yet again. This challenge made all the tougher when the task at hand involves designing a new 12-cylinder engine, the power unit that hailed the start of the glorious Prance Horse story 70 years ago in 1947. On such occasion, the result of intensive research and development produced a distinctive model that was incomparable.
Powered by a new 6.5 litre V12, the 812 Superfast is the benchmark in the mid-front engined sports car segment, achieving its maximum power output at 8,500 rpm. The result ensures the kind of the thrilling top-end performance that is the exclusive characteristic of Ferrari V12s. Maximum torque is 718 Nm at 7000 RPM, a significant 80% of which is already available at 3500 RPM. improving driveability and pickup at low revs. The 812 Superfast thus ushers in a new era in Ferrari 12 cylinder history, in doing so, building on the invaluable legacies of the F12Berlinetta and F12tdf.
The 812 Superfast is equipped with leading-edge vehicle dynamics control systems and components. It is striking for both its highly innovative design and aero package, as well as its unpatrolled handling. It is also the first Ferrari to sport EPS (Electric Power Steering).
Simply put, the 812 Superfast is the new benchmark for mid-front engined sports cars. And its heart is the new 12-cylinder which has forged its character.
Scuderia South Africa CEO, Mervyn Eagles adds; “As the official dealer of Ferrari in South Africa, it is a privilege to be able to showcase this revolutionary model across all three of our dealers during this exclusive private previewing as we are reaffirm our commitment to the Ferrari brand on the African continent. The 812 Superfast surpasses all expectations of a new 12-cylinder engine.”
The 812 Superfast is expected to arrive in South Africa in the first quarter of 2018.
In other motoring news, growing demand for light commercial vehicles has recently spurred Isuzu to expand its offering in Sub-Saharan Africa to include the KB 4×4 crew cab X-Rider model.
