Maranello, (MO), Italy
Ferrari’s 812 Competizione A designed by head designer and recipient of The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies’ 2019 American Prize for Design , Flavio Manzoni, is a spectacular Targa-top version, a limited-series, and an homage to the Prancing Horse’s glorious open-top tradition.
The 812 Competizione A is dedicated to a very exclusive group of collectors and enthusiasts of the noblest of Ferrari traditions, which focuses on uncompromising maximum performance.
The innovative technological concepts applied to the engine, vehicle dynamics, and aerodynamics have raised the bar to new heights.
Once behind the wheel of the 812 Competizione A, the driver becomes one with the car, regardless of whether it is on the road or a track.
The 812 Competizione A was awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The car guarantees instantaneous responsiveness to commands and absolute control even in the most complex of maneuvers.
Maximum fun behind the wheel and driving exhilaration are ensured at all speeds, thanks in great part to the new independent, four-wheel steering, which delivers exceptional agility and precision in cornering.
The 812 Competizione A provided the Ferrari Styling Centre with the opportunity to use the modifications required for the rear of the car to create a truly unforgettable architecture.
The flying buttress concept, which has long been a much-loved part of Ferrari tradition, harmonizes effortlessly with the arrow theme of the front created by the blade and lends a sense of forward thrust to the car’s body, but also gives it a completely different connotation to the coupé.
The car’s center of gravity appears lower, particularly when seen from the side, not only because of the roof and wraparound windscreen that flows into the side windows but also because the flying buttresses at the rear are lower than in the 812 Competizione.
With the Targa top stowed, the roll bars partly jut out above the rest of the bodywork but because they are carbon fiber, they become secondary visual elements and thus do not compromise the broader, more squat stance created by the flying buttresses.
This amplifies the visual lowering of the side view.
In terms of its interior architecture, the 812 Competizione A has remained faithful to the 812 Superfast, retaining the same general parameters and main dash and door panel interfaces, including the latter’s signature “diapason” motif.
The door panel itself has been lightened overall both formally and in terms of actual weight to underscore the sportiness of the cockpit.
The door panel pocket juts out from the main structure almost as if it were a floating element.
This creates a sense of lightness and formal and textural continuity with the rest of the cabin.
Only a small appendage that connects to the door handle remains as an armrest but creates a dynamic muscle on the panel.
Directly in the central area of the cockpit is a link between Ferrari’s past and future, the iconic gear-gate theme here given a modern twist.
This is the first time this has appeared on a V12 car and it very much mirrors the spirit of the 812 Competizione and the marque’s tradition.
Project: Ferrari 812 Competizione A
Designers: Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari Design, Ferrari SpA.
Manufacturer: Ferrari SpA.
