Ferrari’s new flagship packs more than 800bhp, weighs as little as 1100kg and promises to be as close to a true competition car as any road-legal vehicle yet made, according to company sources. The Enzo replacement — codenamed F150 — is due to make its public debut next spring.
Compared with the upcoming McLaren P1, the F150 is claimed by Ferrari to make more sophisticated use of carbonfibre in its construction. Ferrari also says the whole car — from the radical race-car driving position to the radical active aerodynamics — will take the driving experience even closer the fabled idea of a Formula 1 car for the road. There’s no news on the likely price, but it won’t be much less than £800,000.
The F150 advances the concept of the 2005 Enzo-based, track-only FXX, but has its roots in the Millechili technical concept of 2007, a 1000kg research programme that was revealed at Ferrari’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
The F150 is based around a compact central carbonfibre monocoque weighing just 70kg (20 per cent lighter than an Enzo’s). It is powered by a V12 engine and backed up by a small electric motor and lithium ion battery packs.
The V12 is a development of the 731bhp 6.3-litre unit used in the F12. No details have yet leaked, but it is expected that the new engine will be good for more than 750bhp. The electric motor should deliver about 100bhp and as much as 200lb ft of torque.
Although the F150 will not be able to travel solely on electric power, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa says that the Hy-KERS hybrid system will give the F150 a “performance boost, knocking 10 per cent off the car’s 0-125mph sprint time”. Overall, the F150’s CO2 emissions are claimed to be as much as 40 per cent lower than would have been the case with the new V12 engine on its own. Felisa also said that the electric motor is integral to a new torque-vectoring system.
The carbon monocoque has roof-hinged doors like the Enzo and features a radical rethink of the way that the driver is packaged. Like an F1 car, the seat is fixed and will be moulded as a bespoke unit for the buyer. The driver sits upright and his feet will also be raised up, race-car style.
The car’s pedal box and steering wheel are adjustable and it’s believed that most of the controls are mounted on the steering wheel, F1 style. It’s thought that this uncompromising package saves as much as 90kg.
The V12 engine is packaged in the centre of the car, ahead of the rear axle line. It features a new dual-clutch gearbox and a differential design that appears to allow the transmission to be mounted low so that the heavy crankshaft is slightly below the centre of the rear wheels. The batteries are also sited low down, behind the driver.
It’s expected that the F150 will feature dramatic styling, driven by the project’s F1 influences. The bodywork in-board of the front wheels will be very low, as will the bonnet line. The cabin is also very tightly drawn around the occupants before flaring out dramatically around the radiators and rear wheels.
Spy shots show that the F150 has a very long tail. It may get a signature look where the cabin and rear window tapers almost to a point at the very rear of the car.
pics by Autocar.co.uk