Ferrari Continues Testing 812 Replacement, Upcoming F167 Expected With 838 HP

In the beginning, the spy photographers caught Roma-based prototypes testing in Maranello. This fellow here is one of them, and boy does it sound marvelous! Hearsay suggests no hybrid assistance whatsoever, and the rumor mill further proposes 850 cavalli vapore as the V12's maximum output.

Looking at the bigger picture, 838 mechanical horsepower does make plenty of sense. Codenamed F140 GA, the 6.5-liter V12 produces 800 ps (789 horsepower) in the 812 Superfast and the 812 GTS. Higher up the spectrum, the limited-run Monza SP1 and Monza SP2 leveled up to 810 ps (799 horsepower). Ferrari went even further with the Competizione and Competizione A, which are powered by the F140 HB to the tune of 830 ps (819 hp) 9,250 revolutions per minute. Redline? That would be 9,500 revolutions per minute.

That's not all, though, because the Daytona SP3 can do even better. A mid-engine supercar with LaFerrari Aperta underpinnings and carbon-fiber everything, the stupidly expensive Daytona SP3 develops a ridiculous 840 metric ponies or 829 mechanical horsepower. Given that Ferrari launched the 6.5-liter version of the F140 in 2017 with the 812 series, there is no mistaking the F167 will develop in the ballpark of 850 cv.

Also remember how the 6.3-liter version of the F140 evolved in the F12 series: 740 ps (730 hp) from the outset, and 780 ps (769 hp) for the F12tdf. Similar to the outgoing 812 and the previous F12, the F167 clearly sports a quick-shifting tranny of the dual-clutch variety. But as opposed to the seven-speed Magna 7DCL750, the newcomer is believed to feature the eight-speed 8DCL900 transmission.

Developed in cooperation with Ferrari, the 8DCL900 launched in the SF90 series. Designed for both mid- and front-engine applications, the dual-clutch box is listed by Magna with a torque capacity of 900 Nm (664 pound-feet) and a maximum input speed of – get this – 10,000 revolutions per minute. Ferrari's torquiest road-going V12 cranks out 719 Nm (530 pound-feet), and as mentioned earlier, the F140 was taken to 9,500 revolutions per minute in the Competizione twins (and the Daytona SP3).

Pretty close in footprint to the 812, the long-awaited successor is most certain going to sell at a premium. Naturally aspirated V12s are on their way out due to increasingly stringent fuel economy and emission regulations, which could force Italy's most revered automaker to electrify, turbocharge, or electrify and turbocharge said engine in the coming years. Come 2035, the V12 may be offered a lifeline in Europe only if synthetic fuels become a viable alternative to the high-octane dinosaur juice we know and love.

According to Ferrari's 2023 results presentation, the Italian automaker intends to launch three new models in 2024. The F167 is one of those models, and there's no denying the LaFerrari-succeeding F250 is on the horizon as well. Regarding the third and final one, your guesswork is as good as mine.