Ferrari 812 GTS pricing and specs revealed for Australia

It might be known as the Prancing Horse, but its raining Spiders at Ferrari right now.

Hot on the heels of the F8 Spider comes the Ferrari 812 GTS, a drop-top version of the 812 Superfast.

It's the first series production open-top front-engined V12 since the 365 GTS4, though there have been special editions including the 550 Barchetta, 575 Superamerica, 599 SA Aperta and F60 America.

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Locally, Ferrari fans can expect to be spotting 812 GTSs on the streets at the end of next year, with deliveries for buyers expected in Q4 2020. Those buyers will be putting $675,888 (before on-roads) of their hard-earned down to be part of the owners’ club.

You can expect on-roads and options to increase that sub-$700K figure to near-on a million dollars for some buyers.

Mechanically the GTS mirrors its coupe sibling, featuring a 588kW/718Nm 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12, though in European markets the engine is now fitted with a gasoline particulate filter in order to meet the latest emissions regulations.

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Despite a 75kg weight penalty, 0-100km/h is claimed to take "less than three seconds" and 0-200km/h requires just 8.3sec, 0.4sec slower than the hardtop. Top speed is unaffected at "over 340km/h".

The roof takes 14 seconds to raise or lower and can be operated at up to 45km/h. The roof apparatus necessitated the removal of the 812 Superfast's rear wheelarch bypass duct, so Ferrari's engineers integrated a tri-plane wing into the rear diffuser to compensate for the lost downforce.

To reduce interior turbulence - a "huge focus" according to Ferrari - the 812 GTS uses two L-shaped flaps on each corner of the windscreen to create vortices that prevents an increase in pressure behind passengers' heads.

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The chassis is unchanged, using massive rubber - 20 x 10.0-inch rims and 275/35 tyres at the front and 20 x 11.5-inch rims and 315/35 tyres at the rear - and huge brakes as well as a suite of electronic chassis aids, including all-wheel steering, adaptive dampers and electric power steering that can actually help the driver control power oversteer.