Representing the pinnacle of two decades of Ferrari’s front-engined V12 roadsters, we get behind the wheel of a modern 812 GTS and a modern-classic in the shape of the rare 550 Barchetta. Can any parallels be drawn between these two?
Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms
Standing in the pits at Zwartkops Raceway outside Pretoria, South Africa, looking at these two magnificent V12 roadsters, I have to get a small irritation off my chest. As a company, Ferrari does need to market its cars, even though the cars usually sell with little in the way of conventional marketing having to take place.
However, I personally feel that sometimes they are taking liberties, particularly in their launch releases, in an effort to increase the desirability of its products. The original press release of 9 September 2019 for the then-new 812 GTS reads as follows: “Exactly 50 years on from the debut of the last spider in the Ferrari range to sport a front-mounted V12, the 812 GTS hails a triumphant return for a model type that has played a pivotal role in the marque’s history since its foundation.”
It carries on with “The last in that long lineage was the 1969 365 GTS4, also known as the Daytona Spider…” It is at this stage where you might start to rub your chin, as you glance across the to the shapely 550 Barchetta...
But Ferrari then continues with, “The front-mounted V12 architecture has not been used in a Ferrari series-production spider since the 365 GTS4. That said, four special series limited editions have been launched: the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina in 2000, the Superamerica in 2005, the SA Aperta in 2010 and, most recently, the F60 America of which just 10 were built…
So, indeed, if you split standard series production and limited editions, this is indeed the first time such a model has been made available for 50 years. Goes to show one can spin virtually anything any which way you fancy.
Modern siblings
Getting these two open-top V12s together was no small feat. Both owners live in Johannesburg, South Africa, but our first attempt to get them together in 2022 coincided with the owner of the GTS only taking delivery of the car that day – not ideal to request him to hand me the keys for a blast! A few months later, all was planned including an empty track just for us, and then the rain came. However, third time lucky and on a sunny autumn day it all worked out at Zwartkops Raceway.
The two-decade jump in styling is immediately evident with these cars. The 550 Barchetta has very strong design details that it obviously shares with the 550 Maranello, but the fact that it is basically a permanent roadster makes it rather attractive. The cloth roof can be installed, but this takes rather a lot of time and effort. Even so, like the owner admits, he loves the fact that the car is compromised and a full-blown roadster and that you must pick your days carefully to enjoy the car.
Both have the rear humps behind the occupants’ heads, while the Barchetta allows for a cleaner and more unobstructive design than the GTS since only the top part of the roof is stored behind the cabin.
Neither of these cars are garage queens, as both owners have set out to enjoy their V12s as often as possible. The 550 Barchetta has close to 49 000 km on the odo - a considerable number as the owner purchased it with only around 8 800 km back in 2006 in the UK. The owner eagerly shares his experiences with the car since that day.
“In 2008 I drove from London to Monza and then on to Maranello. I then watched the Grand Prix in Monza. I’ve had some great memories and experiences with the car in the UK and being part of the Ferrari Owners Club GB. Apart from that, the car has been on Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town, Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg and even Silverstone in the UK. I believe the miles on the car just adds to its provenance. My next aim is 100 000 km – after all, no one checks the mileage on a 250 GTO!”
To sum it up, the fact that he did 35 laps on this track we are standing during a Ferrari event a few weeks before our shoot attests of his intent to enjoy the car to the full! He also customized it a little by painting the rims a slightly darker color, as well as having a yellow stripe on the bonnet (as a tribute to #4153 GT, 250 GTO), and finally he got Mimmo Schiattarella to build a special exhaust for him.
The owner of the GTS has also had an interesting journey that led him to some of Ferrari’s most exciting, modern cars. Since he purchased the GTS, he has made full use of it. “I visited the Ferrari factory in 2008, however I developed a strong interest in Ferrari even before then, when Michael Schumacher was racing F1 for them. At the factory I was impressed with the way they build the cars, the trees in the factory and the cleanliness. I never thought I would own one, though. Shortly after I received the car I did 2 800 km with this car on a single journey during eight days of driving. The car’s ability to cruise on the open road comfortably really impressed me. We also tackled a number of back roads and several mountain passes.”
The track is empty and ours before the sun sets and I select to first slip into the modern classic. There is a level of simplicity around the cabin that modern cars lack. That is partly thanks to less technology being on offer at the time of manufacture – depending on your approach or need for technology, you will either appreciate or loathe it. With the gear lever to my left (South Africa is a right-hand drive country) and the open-gate below it, I find I appreciate the lack of technology, as what is housed beneath the light-blue bonnet in front of me is of more importance to me.
An interesting little fact is that the windscreen is not the same size as a standard 550 Maranello's, but is specific (lower) to the Barchetta. That is a fact the owner was told when he bought the car, so he has been taking good care of the windscreen.
Behind the Barchetta’s ‘wheel
The four-point harness, which thankfully just clips in like a normal seatbelt, has been used in several Ferraris since the Barchetta. It makes you feel much more secure than a standard seatbelt while doing away with the time consuming and cumbersome element of a real harness with its centre locking mechanism. Needless to say, you know you are not driving an everyday Ferrari when it is equipped with one of these features.
Setting off, I immediately realize this is no light-weight car. After all, it tips the scales at 1 690 kg, but even so, with 362 kW and 568 N.m, there is an immediate and noticeable amount of acceleration available thanks to plentiful low-down torque – as should be the case with a GT.
However, soon I start to rev out the gears and allow the needle to swing past 7 000 rpm. It is here where the intentions and liveliness of the engine can be intimately experienced. Zwartkops is not a long track (only 2.5 km in length) and has a combination of mostly shorter and lower-gear corners with one very fast and long right hander. It is through the latter that the Barchetta feels especially stable, but it is in the tighter corners where you can really feel the outer tires loading up and where a brief push of the throttle pedal will easily allow the rear axle to break traction. This is also helped by the fact that, by modern standards, the rear tyres are not massively wide. You can also pay attention to the weight transfer once the car has settled in a corner, or is about to settle, as that is another factor to keep in mind if you want to break traction at the rear or just keep it close to the limit.
Take into account that more than two decades of development has transformed performance cars, you certainly need less skill to play with the Barchetta than what I was expecting. After all these years and having taken the Barchetta to numerous track days, the owner can easily drive his car on the limit most of the time, which he eagerly illustrates to me. From my drive but also during his drive, it is evident that on track you need to switch off ASR, as it will really inhibit your efforts in putting down the power.
I don’t make use of all the braking force as I approach corners, but even so, the brake pedal is relatively firm and lowers the car’s speed with a good level of confidence. The steering provides decent feedback while the gears can be swapped faster than I expected. At times you can hear the clack-clack sound as the lever touch the edges of the metal open-gate. Some blipping of the throttle makes the process even smoother and after a couple of laps I have a higher level of appreciation for the 550 Barchetta. The track might not be its ideal environment, but the fun factor on track that it provides, together with its touring capability, makes it a very attractive proposition.
Behind the ‘wheel of the 812 GTS
If those (combination of touring ability as well as entertaining dynamics) are the two elements by which you rate a car, the 812 GTS should be up there as well. Attending the launch of the 812 Superfast in Italy in 2017, I walked away enormously impressed. I’ll admit, it was my first Ferrari launch, so one must always try to stay objective. But, subsequently I’ve informed fellow enthusiasts that the 812 Superfast is barely a GT, being more of a front/mid-engined supercar. Most of the time it was very difficult to put all that power and torque onto the Italian roads. On track it was a different story.
With the introduction of the 812 GTS, Ferrari clearly wanted to lure customers who want the best of both worlds: touring, al fresco experiences but with nearly the same level of performance.
Make no mistake, Ferrari has done a beautiful job of converting the 812 Superfast into a partial convertible. The same focused intention of the coupe in its overall design is still evident, especially in the sharply designed front lights, the side air outlets and the way the shoulder line runs towards and over the rear fenders. With the roof in place, there is barely any difference compared to the Superfast. But today the roof will be lowered and stowed so we can experience the GTS in the way its engineers and designers intended.
Behind the wheel it is pure modern Ferrari. Having driven an 812 Competizione a few weeks earlier, the cabin feels immediately welcome and snug.
As make myself comfortable, the kind owner tells me to enjoy the car to its fullest, and it is immediately notable that less effort is needed to pilot this GT than the 550. The start button lets the engine burble to life, the right-hand paddle engages first gear and I’m off. Leave it in Auto and the Sport setting and it feels like you could be heading to the shops. There is a clear raspy sound to the exhaust note, never leaving you in doubt as to what is available under your right foot. With the Manettino knob dialed to Race, I pull the left paddle a few times and with second gear selected I accelerate down the straight. In an instant there is a very strong and urgent mechanical push from the engine and the next moment the rev lights illuminate at the top of the steering wheel. The first red lights light up close to 6 000 rpm and the then the row lights up progressively as you approach the red line at 9 000 rpm before the final blue light comes on. It is that last 1 000 rpm where the engine is truly singing!
I pull the lever and select third gear. Moments later the brakes feel very strong and are sharp in their execution. With little input through the steering wheel the nose darts into the corner and I confidently start to press the throttle pedal again. Even more so than in the Barchetta, overpowering the rear axle will be easy, but here there are more systems, modern tires and technology that could help you to prevent this from happening.
The speed with which the engine revs is markedly quicker than in the Barchetta. It picks up speed very quickly in a smooth yet potent manner. It makes the car feel lighter than what it is. Although you can leave the gearbox in its automatic setting and allow it to give you a quicker time around the track, that is not as much fun as deciding when to shift gears yourself. The barking sound from the exhaust on each down change is a true joy while the four exhaust pipes together with the engine inform your passenger and anyone else in the vicinity that the F140 GA engine has just experienced a lower gear.
Racking up the corners, the car also starts to feel more compact than what it is. This is really thanks to the handling, as the car does seem to shrink around you the more you experience it on track.
Things happen quicker in the GTS and the speeds you carry towards and through a corner are notably higher. As expected less input is needed to keep the car on track. Having said that, if you want to deploy the full 588 kW with the systems off, you will need to be handy behind the ‘wheel.
As the sun sets
On the highway back home, the Barchetta sits comfortably below 3 000 rpm at an indicated 120 km/h – although I think it will cruise just as effortlessly at double this speed. Also keep in mind that only 448 were produced, making this a semi-rare modern-classic Ferrari. The GTS will be more comfortable on longer journeys, is less compromised and will offer its occupants all the creature comforts. Although not limited in production numbers, we can safely assume that not too many of them will be produced. So, 550 or 812? I guess one’s decision will be influenced by which other Ferraris are already in the garage...
Specifications:
Model: Ferrari 550 Barchetta
Engine: 5.5-litre, V12, petrol
Power: 362 kW at 7 000 rpm
Torque: 568 N.m at 5 000 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Weight: 1 690 kg
0-100 km/h: 4.4 seconds
Top Speed: 300 km/h
Model: Ferrari 812 GTS
Engine: 6.5-litre, V12, petrol
Power: 588 kW at 8 500 rpm
Torque: 718 N.m at 7 000 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic
Weight: 1 645 kg
0-100 km/h: 3.0 seconds
Top Speed: 340 km/h