reveal of the new prancing horse supercar

After keeping the public in suspense for a good hour, with unstoppable technical justifications and great promises, the Ferrari team finally lifts the veil, in a sound and light show, on its latest supercar: the F80. The first in over ten years and the advent of the aptly named LaFerrari.

A hybrid creature of 1,200 cumulative hp, capable of reaching in less than 5”8, not 100, but 200 km/h, and already announced as holder of the lap record for a car approved for the course of the national circuit of Fiorano in 1’15”30. Don’t throw away anymore! Especially since according to the brand’s representatives, the experience extends beyond the numbers.

Everyone in the room wants to believe him. Except that just behind our backs, gathered in this same brand new wing of the Maranello factory, each on its own pedestal, are the five goddesses who make up the modern history of the prancing horse brand; from the 288 GTO to the LaFerrari, including the F40, the F50 and the Enzo. Phew, that’s what we call one hell of a lineage.

So, from certain angles, the costume immediately seems a little too big for the new heiress. Firstly because it does not display the mechanical exclusivity of some of its ancestors. Nor from his supposed rivals! Under the timidly perforated rear hood (should we see this as a sign of embarrassment?), we do not find an atmo V12, the Italian firm’s signature engine, nor the twin-turbo V8 chosen by McLaren for its very recent W1. An even less surreal V16 imagined by Bugatti for its Tourbillon. The F80 simply takes the 3.0 biturbo V6 from the 296 GTB.

Engines!

As we are talking here about a Ferrari, this technical modesty obviously remains relative. This block with benches open at 120°, from the same family as that of the 499P which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans two editions in a row (2023, 2024), notably sees its mobile hitch revised.

Its titanium connecting rods and remodeled aluminum pistons allow it, among other things, to raise the digital tachometer up to 9,200 rpm and develop a whopping 900 hp on its own. Or a specific power of 300 hp/liter. Small but strong! This 2,992 cm3 does not weigh any heavier here than between the wheels of the aforementioned Berlinette despite these additional 237 hp and especially the electrification of its two turbos for promised availability at any time.

Of course, it’s never enough. Associated with an 8-speed robotic gearbox, this 6-cylinder, the F163CF of its nickname, receives the added bonus of assistance from an electric machine of 60 kW (81 hp) and 45 Nm via a gear in mesh with its crankshaft .

But the feeling of a lack of distinction persists. The front axle is reminiscent of that of the SF90 by receiving two other magnet motors of 105 kW (142 hp) and 121 Nm each. In a lighter version, however, the whole thing weighs around 14 kg less, including the cooling system and inverter. Which does not prevent him from assuming the function couple vectoror to apply a different torque from one wheel to another for the benefit of the agility of this integral.

However, there is no question of driving solely on electric power. This non-rechargeable Ferrari remains incapable of doing so. The 1,525 kg announced dry (we must add around a hundred in running order), significantly higher than the 1,399 kg of the McLaren W1 in the same conditions, can also disappoint.

Compact

Failing to shine with its lightness, the F80 stands out a little more from the crowd thanks to the effort to miniaturize its organs and their careful interlacing. The 2.3 kWh battery cells are carefully assembled internally, in a carbon housing, to take up minimal space in the depths of the engine bay.

The upper rear suspension triangles, as if sculpted by the wind, come from 3D printing, the four original Multimatic active spring-shock absorber combinations being mounted “inboard” here, integral with the chassis, to free the wheel arches.

The crew is even involved. Shaped directly in the hollow of the monocoque, in carbon of course, the fixed passenger seat remains behind the driver’s seat whatever happens. Their close location in the width direction, at the heart of an asymmetrical passenger compartment, a concept called “1+” by the Reds, allows the adoption of a cell 5 cm narrower than that of the LaFerrari in order to limit the surface area. . frontal. There is no doubt that when passing through one of the majestic butterfly doors, space is limited on board.

air

The aim of freeing up all this space is to give a lot of room to the aerodynamics and incidentally to its appendages. The snout of the beast, which takes up the mask of the 12Cilindri, multiplies the wing profiles like that of a 499P and completes them with an active flap behind the front blade. The rear has an equally movable spoiler, equipped with a DRS function.

But if the top really catches the eye, the bottom is even more impressive. The volume released thanks to the elevation of the crankset allows the appearance, between the front wheels, of barge boardsthese vertical fins, very popular in F1, to free the flat bottom from turbulent air. Further back, the diffuser originates upstream of the second axle to extend over 1.80 m in length. Thanks to the suspension which continually adjusts the ride height for optimal ground effect, the whole thing generates more than a ton of downforce from 250 km/h.

Am I a legend?

The end result is obviously a matter of taste. As if carved from a parallelepiped 4.84 m long and 2.06 m wide, the F80 could remind the less young among us of the Group C cars which hosted the various endurance championships around the world in over the years. 1980.

The other side of the coin is that this very angular style doesn’t really do justice to the incredible compactness of the technical package to which the bare hull alluded during this big reveal.

That said, what’s the point of quibbling since the 799 copies at 3.6 million euros each are already all sold. So let’s bet that in motion, pampered by the electronics of which Ferrari has the secret, the supercar will largely make you forget these little inconveniences. And become a legend in turn?

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