A legend is reborn

In order to be placed on the market, passenger cars carry out a series of tests to verify their compliance with regulations. 

The tests to assess fuel consumption, CO2 and pollutant emissions are carried out in the laboratory and are based on specific driving cycles. In this way, the tests are reproducible and the results comparable. This is important because only a laboratory test, which follows a standardized and repeatable procedure, allows consumers to compare different car models. On 1 September 2017, the new Worldwide harmonised Light-duty vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) came into force in Europe and will gradually replace the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) protocol. NEDC (New European Driving Cycle): it has been the European driving cycle used so far for the measurement of fuel consumption and emissions from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The first European driving cycle came into force in 1970 and referred to an urban route. In 1992 it was also considered to have an extra-urban phase and since 1997 it has been used for measuring consumption and CO2 emissions. However, the composition of this cycle is no longer consistent with current driving styles and distances travelled on different types of roads.  The average speed of the NEDC is only 34 km/h, 

accelerations are low and the maximum speed is just 120 km/h. WLTP procedure: WLTP uses new Worldwide harmonised Light-duty vehicle Test Cycles (WLTC) to measure fuel consumption, CO2 and pollutant emissions from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The new protocol aims to provide customers with more realistic data, better reflecting the daily use of the vehicle. The new WLTP procedure is characterized by a more dynamic driving profile with more significant acceleration. The maximum speed increases from 120 to 131.3 km/ h, the average speed is 46.5 km/h and the total cycle time is 30 minutes, 10 minutes more than the previous NEDC. The distance travelled doubles from 11 to 23.25 kilometers. The WLTP test consists of four parts depending on the maximum speed: Low (up to 56.5 km/h), Medium (up to 76.6 km/h), High (up to 97.4 km/h), Extra-high (up to 131.3 km/h). These parts of the cycle simulate urban and suburban driving and driving on extra-urban roads and motorways. The procedure also takes into account all vehicle’s optional contents that affect aerodynamics, rolling resistance and vehicle mass, resulting in a CO2 value that reflects the characteristics of the single vehicle.

The WLTP procedure will gradually replace the NEDC procedure. The WLTP applies to new passenger car models from 1 September 2017, to all passenger cars registered from 1 September 2018 and is mandatory for all EU Member States. Until the end of 2020, both fuel consumption and CO2 emission values in WLTP and NEDC will be present in the vehicle documents. Indeed, NEDC values will be used to assess the average CO2 emissions of cars registered in the EU throughout 2020. In addition, some countries may continue to use the NEDC data for fiscal purposes. From 2021 onwards, WLTP data will be the only consumption/ CO2 emissions values for all cars. Used vehicles will not be affected by this step and will maintain their certified NEDC values.

ROAD CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS OF PASSENGER CARS

The new WLTP test procedure is more representative of current driving conditions than the NEDC procedure, but it cannot take into account all 

possible cases including the effect of the driving style that is specific to each individual driver.

Therefore, there will still be a difference between emissions and consumption measured in the laboratory and those resulting from the use of the vehicle in the real world, and the extent of this difference will depend on factors such as driving behavior, the use of on-board systems (e. g. air conditioning), traffic and weather conditions that are characteristic of each geographical area and each driver. For this reason, only a standardized laboratory test allows to obtain values with which it is possible to compare vehicles and different models in a fair way.

WHAT CHANGES FOR CUSTOMERS 

The new WLTP procedure will provide a more realistic criterion for comparing the fuel consumption and CO2 emission values of different vehicle models as it has been designed to better reflect real driving behavior and take into account the specific technical characteristics of the individual model and version, including optional equipment.

The retractable hard top (RHT), which opens in just 14 seconds at speeds of up to 45 km/h, does not impinge upon the interior dimensions, thus maintaining the donor car’s roomy cockpit. The electric rear screen, which acts as a wind-stop, makes the car truly useable with the top down while, with the top up, it can be left open to allow occupants to continue to luxuriate in the naturally-aspirated V12’s unique soundtrack.  

The draped design of the flanks visually shortens the tail and is characterised by sharply slanted crease lines and impressively muscular wheelarches that imbue it with the power and aggression warranted by its imposing V12. 

On the spider version of the 812 Superfast, the entire rear of the car - roof, tonneau cover and luggage compartment - has been redesigned. The idea was to lend the car a new blend of sleekness and balance, thanks to two buttresses beneath which the roof movement mechanism is stowed.  The buttresses were designed to visually embody a sense of forward thrust and lend the side windows a signature look that would set the spider apart from the berlinetta. When the top is dropped, the roof panels disappear beneath the aforementioned tonneau cover.  

The 812 GTS is the spider version of the 812 Superfast, from which it takes both its specifications and performance, most notably the power unit which, thanks to its ability to unleash a massive 800 cv at 8500 rpm, is the most powerful engine in its class.

As on the 812 Superfast, these performance levels were achieved in part by optimising the engine design and in part by innovations, such as the use of a 350 bar direct injection system, and the control system for the variable geometry inlet tracts, developed on naturally-aspirated F1 engines. These systems allowed the increase in displacement from 6.2 to 6.5 litres to be exploited to maximise power output whilst retaining excellent pick-up even at low revs. 

Particular attention was also paid to calibrating the Manettino settings to enhance the engine’s potential and the sensation of extreme power delivered by the car. That said, the driver will always be able to easily and confidently dose the massive torque available with the accelerator pedal, thanks to smooth, progressive power delivery at all engine speeds.

Exhaust-wise, prevalence was given to combustion order harmonics by modifying the geometry of the centre extension pipes. All the pipes in the 6-in-1 exhaust manifold to the monolithic catalytic converter are of equal-length and this optimises the sound by giving predominance to the first-order combustion harmonics.

The result is a full-bodied V12 sound in the cabin in all kinds of driving but which is particularly appreciable when the roof is open.  

The 812 GTS is equipped with all of the 812 Superfast’s new generation components and control systems and, like it, delivers impressive handling.  It sports Electric Power Steering (EPS) which, in line with Ferrari tradition, is used to fully exploit the potential of the car in terms of performance by integrating it with all of the electronic vehicle dynamics controls, including Version 5.0 of Ferrari’s patented SSC. Another of the integrated systems is the Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 system (PCV), which has been further evolved based on experience gained since its debut on the F12tdf.

The following high performance driver assistance features are also featured:

-        Ferrari Peak Performance (FPP): when cornering, the steering wheel torque will provide the driver with an indication that the car is getting closer to its limit of grip, helping the control of that dynamic state

-        Ferrari Power Oversteer (FPO) - in the case of oversteer, most frequently induced while powering out of corners, the steering wheel torque will give the driver feedback to give steering wheel inputs that are coherent with realigning the car correctly

-        Optimised calibration of the car’s magnetorheological dampers mean its elastic set-up is the same as the berlinetta version’s despite the 75kg increase in weight caused by strengthening work on the chassis

Consequently, its overall performance levels are very close to those of the berlinetta, with 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 3 seconds and 0-200 km/h in just 8,3 seconds. The Ferrari F152M RHT’s maximum speed is the same as the berlinetta’s: 340 km/H

Aerodynamically, the 812 GTS posed two main challenges for the Ferrari designers: how to guarantee the same performance as the coupé version with the top up and, at the same time, ensure maximum passenger comfort with the roof down.

In terms of pure aerodynamic performance, the retractable hard top and its stowage compartment required that the rear of the car be modified. Thanks to meticulous resculpting of the tonneau cover surfaces and, most importantly, the integration of a triplane wing into rear diffuser to create efficient suction (and thus downforce) from the underbody, the aerodynamicists were able to compensate for the downforce lost by the removal of the 812 Superfast’s rear wheelarch by-pass duct, the air intake of which was behind the quarterlight. 

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Meticulously detailed work went into guaranteeing an excellent standard of comfort on-board with the top down. There was huge focus on minimising both turbulence inside the cabin and aerodynamic noise to ensure occupants could converse undisturbed even at high speeds.

As with the LaFerrari Aperta, two small L-shaped flaps on the upper corners of the windscreen generate a coherent concentrated vortex that creates outwash in the velocity field immediately above the rear screen, thereby avoiding excess pressure behind the occupants’ heads.  

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The Ferrari V12 spider story features many iconic models and began in 1948 with the 166 MM, an authentic thoroughbred competition GT that won the two most prestigious endurance races in the world in 1949: the Mille Miglia and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The last in that long lineage was the 1969 365 GTS4, also known as the Daytona Spider because of Ferrari’s legendary victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona when two works 330 P4s and the NART-entered 412 P took the chequered flag side-by-side to occupy the top three places. 

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 to celebrate Ferrari’s 60th year on the American market in 2014. 

Like its historic predecessors, the 812 GTS sets a new benchmark in terms of performance and exclusivity. Sporting Ferrari’s majestic 800 cv V12, it is not merely the most powerful production spider on the market, but also the most versatile, thanks to its retractable hard top, a unique feature in this segment which also guarantees a larger boot capacity.