Ferrari 812 GTS

The Ferrari 812 GTS is the kind of car that asks a catalogue reader to look beyond the headline figures. Ranked 50th for power among 600 cars, it sits comfortably inside the top 8%, yet its 0 to 100 km/h ranking of 112th shows that outright acceleration alone does not explain its appeal. Faster than 488 cars in the collection, this Ferrari is less about chasing a single statistic and more about the combination of qualities it brings together.

The defining detail is its engine layout. Of the 600 cars in the catalogue, only 90 use a V12, just 68 combine a V12 with rear wheel drive, and only 41 pair a naturally aspirated V12 with that rear wheel drive layout. The 812 GTS belongs to that narrow group. Its 6.5 litre naturally aspirated V12 produces 789 bhp and 718 Nm, sending power to the rear wheels in a format that represents a distinct character within a collection filled with different approaches to performance.

Its place in the wider catalogue reinforces that balance. A top speed of 340 km/h places it 67th out of 600, confirming that it remains a serious high performance car, while its used price of £330,000 ranks 121st, making it more expensive than 479 cars in the collection. At £418 per bhp, the cost is not simply tied to output. The appeal comes from the specification working as a whole, from the open top two seater cabriolet body style to the rare combination of V12, naturally aspirated power and rear wheel drive.

The 812 GTS also represents Ferrari’s Italian identity within a catalogue where 118 cars come from Italy and where Ferrari accounts for 53 entries. That context matters because a collection is not built only from the quickest machines. It is shaped by the different ideas each car represents.

For a dream garage, the 812 GTS introduces a particular kind of balance. It has the numbers to stand among the fastest cars in the catalogue, but its significance comes from the mechanical arrangement behind those numbers. Whether it becomes the car that defines a collection depends on personal taste: some owners will seek the latest approach to speed, while others will choose the appeal of a naturally aspirated V12 convertible with rear wheel drive. The figures identify its position, but the final decision belongs to the collector.