Ferrari has launched its most powerful road car ever – the F80 – a stunning new F1-derived hybrid with a price tag of more than £3 million.
The hypercar, of which only 799 will be made, features striking butterfly doors and unique driver-oriented seating, with a passenger certainly an optional extra.
The Ferrari F80 has a blistering acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.15 seconds and a top speed of 350 km/h, achieved thanks to an awe-inspiring 1,200 hp from its partnership between petrol and electric engines.
Ferrari or transformer? The F80 comes with striking butterfly doors
Exclusive: The Ferrari F80 will cost around £3 million and only 799 will be made
Power comes from a combined V6 petrol engine and three battery-powered electric motors. But unlike your suburban hybrid, don’t expect to run locally on electric power or get an MPG boost.
The F80 is a self-charging hybrid – not a plug-in – and there’s no option to drive a zero-emission ‘electric-only’ model.
Launched today as the pinnacle of the legendary Italian car company’s range, the radical new petrol-electric Ferrari F80 has been designed and engineered to be practical and wonderfully easy to drive on the road, but a fire-breathing beast on the track.
Inside there’s room for two, but the focus is firmly on the driver, with the seating arrangement described as a ‘1+’ – with the single passenger seat moved back and rearward to give priority to the person behind the steering wheel.
Focused on the driver: Ferrari describes the seats as 1+ – with the single passenger seat pushed back
The F80 joins previous Ferrari icons such as the GTO, F40 and LaFerrari “by showcasing the best that the Maranello-based brand has achieved in terms of technology and performance,” the company said.
Unveiling the new flagship engine at its headquarters in Maranello, Italy, the company said it had set “the new benchmark for innovation and technical excellence.” to the 2016 LaFerrari Aperta
‘With a maximum combined power of 1200 hp, the F80’s V6 hybrid powertrain makes it the most powerful road car ever to emerge from the gates of the Ferrari factory.’
The company says the new F80 ‘writes a new chapter in the history of legendary supercars bearing the Prancing Horse emblem’, ‘exemplifies the brand’s ultimate technology and performance’ and ‘represents an extreme development of the combustion engine’ . ‘.
And it adds: ‘Like all supercars that came before it, the F80 marks the start of a new design era for Ferrari, with a more edgy, extreme design language that accentuates its racing soul.’
From butterfly doors to hybrid propulsion, what F80 buyers get
Butterfly doors (similar to those used on the earlier LaFerrari) open with an upward swing thanks to a dual-axis pivot hinge mechanism, allowing them to rise vertically to an angle of almost 90°.
The high-quality carbon fiber door sills help protect occupants in the event of a side impact.
Red hot: Power for the new 1,200 hp F80 comes from a 3.0-liter V6 engine and three electric motors
But the beating heart of every Ferrari is the engine. Power for the new 1,200 hp F80 comes from the coupling of an improved 3.0-liter V6 engine with 900 hp – making it the most powerful Ferrari engine ever with 300 hp per liter – to three electric motors (two on the front axle and one at the rear) that add another 300 hp.
All operate via an 8-speed F1 DCT dual-clutch automatic gearbox with manual override.
The F80’s electric motors are the first to be fully developed, tested and produced by Ferrari at its Maranello headquarters in northern Italy with the specific aim of maximizing performance and reducing weight.
Their design (with two engines on the front axle and one at the rear of the car) draws directly from Ferrari’s experience in racing.
Ferrari says the engine and its components are closely related to the 499P race car that won the last two 24 Hours of Le Mans championships.
Technology has also been adopted from Formula 1.
For the first time on a Ferrari, there is an electric ‘e-turbo’ that places an electric motor between the turbine and compressor of each turbo to increase power for ‘instant response’ from low in the rev range.
Performance is enhanced by the electric front axle, which adds all-wheel drive to the ‘power on tap’.
Physical buttons on the steering wheel spokes return, replacing the all-digital layout used in recent years. Ferrari admits that the buttons are easier to use and can be identified directly by touch.
The F80 features the most advanced system for managing vehicle dynamics, both on road and track.
The new all-round active suspension system with 48V motors creates a ‘supercar soul’. Meanwhile, 3D printing is being used for the first time on a Ferrari road car to make the wishbones.
Ferrari explains: ‘This system meets two seemingly incompatible requirements: the need for a very flat ride on the track, where variations in ride height should be minimized as much as possible, and the need for compliance to effectively absorb road imperfections . during normal driving.’
The result is ‘excellent on-road driving characteristics’.
The new F80 is also offered with a seven-year maintenance program – the first for a Ferrari supercar.
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