DOUBLE G AND I

It's not just McLaren mixing things up. Ferrari and Aston also approach the maximum GT thing from very different directions...

If cars did internet dating, the Ferrari 812 Superfast and Aston Martin DBS Superleggera would be swiping right hard enough to crack a phone screen. They come from similarly aristocratic backgrounds, have similar outlooks on life and even similar hobbies – hobbies that centre around being head-swivel noisy, making people stare, and accelerating fast enough to edit distance in a jump-cut. A short film featuring painfully compressed vertebrae and anime-wide eyes. High end? Both cost more than normal people can afford to spend on something they can’t live in.

If you want to be less metaphorical about it, both are front mid-engine V12s, both have horsepower figures that start with a seven, although the 812’s number is dangerously close to starting with an eight. Both are two-door grand tourers, both weigh between 1,600 and 1,700kg. Both have a top speed of 211mph, and both manage to get to 100mph in less time than a hot hatch gets to 62.