Possible Ferrari 812 GTO Spied Again On The Streets Of Maranello

There's a legend prowling the streets of northern Italy, in and around a town called Maranello. You may have heard about the place – it's where a car company called Ferrari makes its home. In recent months, a sinister black car has been spotted on occasion, sometimes followed by whispers of three notable letters – GTO. Now, it's been spotted again.

Admittedly, we're getting a little dramatic here. Yes, YouTuber Varryx caught the fabled black Ferrari 812 Superfast once again, rolling through the streets of Maranello in broad daylight, still as big a mystery as it ever was. We have these excellent visuals thanks to high-definition video, but to Ferrari's credit, the rumor mill is dead silent in terms of leaked information. Is this a prelude to a new version of the fearsome 812? Is it merely a test mule for powertrain or aerodynamic developments? Is it a new GTO? At this point, those who know aren't even dropping hints, never mind talking.

Here's what we do know. Multiple cars are spotted in this clip, as we see different registration numbers on the back. They also appear identical to prototypes spotted previously. Compared to the standard 812, the rear diffuser is much larger and in fact, both the front and rear fascias are different. There are clearly some aerodynamic alterations, but the car also belts out a slightly lower exhaust note. That suggests there's something different with the big V12 up front, or at least, something different with the piping running to the back.

These changes are the fuel for speculation on the return of the GTO moniker. It's obviously a very special nameplate in Ferrari's history, having been used just three times. The last machine to wear a GTO badge was the 599 over a decade ago, and at the time, Ferrari said it was the company's fastest road car ever built. The 812 Superfast already boasts 789 horsepower from its fantastic 6.5-liter V12, so it's not hard to image aero updates and a bit more power for a proper GTO.

Of course, this is strictly speculation. Ferrari could have something else in mind with the 812 Superfast that's not GTO-related. Ultimately, we'll just have to wait for Ferrari to come clean and that could happen next week, next year, or if these are merely technology test mules, not at all.