IIt Took $1.8 Million and a Ferrari 812 Superfast V12 To Restomod One of Ferrari’s Ugliest Cars

Key Points

• The 412 Superfast is a $1.8 million, heavily customized 1987 Ferrari restomod.
• Features a modern V12 engine, over 700 horsepower, and more than 500 custom parts.
• Luxurious interior uses rare materials; build took 5,000 hours and extensive modifications.

Say hello to the 412 Superfast, a nearly $2 million 1987 Ferrari 412 with the 6.5-liter V12 from a 30-year-younger 812 Superfast. You’re probably wondering why anyone would offer a restomod based on one of the ugliest, least-loved Ferraris ever made, and why they would spend a whopping $1.8 million in the process. The answer is simple: because the person who commissioned it loves the car and others of the era. It’s as simple as that – each of us probably has a car we like that our friends don’t, and no amount of arguing can change our minds. But like any project, the initial goal wasn’t to spend this much money, and things just snowballed as the builders, Otsuka Maxwell Design, dug deeper and suggested crazier ideas. A video on the Hagerty YouTube channel (embedded at the bottom of this article) shows all the details from the viewpoint of photography extraordinaire Larry Chen.

Almost Everything Gets Upgraded

The build retains its original frame rails and glass, though the front and rear windshields were replaced with new items, and the trim and door handles have been polished. But pretty much everything else has been modified. The bumpers have been slightly tucked, the fenders boast integrated metal flares, and the rear spoiler is custom-made from metal. At the front, the original pop-up headlights were deemed too obtuse and replaced with shallower custom units inspired by the Mondial and F40, and at the back, the car that donated its engine also provided its taillights. Interestingly, the wing mirrors are from a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, because the builders wanted wedge-shaped body-mounted mirrors with electronic adjustment but without any radar gubbins.

Everything is rounded off with a custom two-tone “Superfast Gold” and black finish, with custom 18-inch Brixton Forged wheels hiding carbon-ceramic brakes from a Ferrari F430 (with the brake booster from a Ferrari FF). A larger 412 Superfast badge in the 812 font identifies the one-of-one build, which took more than 5,000 hours to create and boasts more than 500 custom parts.

Manic Mechanical Upgrades
The F140GA engine (now with custom valve covers inspired by F1 cars from the 1980s and 1990s) delivers over 700 wheel horsepower, making more than 500 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm, thanks to a standalone Motec C1212 ECU, port injection, individual throttle bodies, a carbon fiber plenum, and a blend of E85 and 91 octane. But the 812 Superfast didn’t come with a manual, so OMD took the transaxle from an automatic Ferrari 599 (which is an automated manual, like that in the E46 BMW M3 CSL – and manual 599 GTBs are ultra-rare) and turned it into one. In-house-designed CNC A-arms support the build, and the steering rack is again custom, while a Bosch Motorsports ABS setup helps keep braking under control. Other highlights include a larger radiator, a custom air-conditioning system, and, interestingly, a windshield wiper motor from Toyota, because it provides variable wiper speeds.

An Interior That Spares No Expense
The cabin is lathered in Alcantara, including the steering wheel (which comes from a 512 TR but was also shared with a 348), and that’s par for the course in a restomod, but the seat centers and door cards are trimmed in Mongolian Cashmere that costs $1,000 per yard, and the door handles and gear knob are made of Bastogne walnut from a tree cut down in the same year as this car was made. This alone cost $3,800. The seats are electronically adjustable Sabelt items with carbon backs and the carpet is the same stuff as in a Rolls-Royce. Infotainment is taken care of with an Excelon setup with CarPlay, and there are custom buttons that put the car into its wet setting, turn the traction control off, and enable launch control. With all of this in mind, the $1.8 million build cost suddenly makes sense. But we don’t blame you if you still think it’s ugly.