With the F80, Ferrari is writing a new chapter in the history of its flagship supercar lineage.
As a direct successor to the La Ferrari and spiritual successor to the likes of the legendary F40 and 288 GTO, it is also quite fittingly the most powerful road car that the Italian marque has ever produced.
It’s a technological encyclopedia of innovation and dynamic extremes, but dare we audaciously state it prioritises functionality over beauty.
Just 799 examples of the Ferrari F80 will be produced at a price tag of 3.6 million euros in Italy (around R68.6 million) and they’re all apparently spoken for.
According to Ferrari, the F80’s hybrid powertrain represents “an extreme development of the internal combustion engine”.
It pairs a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with three electric motors - two on the front axle and one on the back - for a system output of 883kW.
Derived from the Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P race car’s powerplant, the F80’s combustion engine alone produces 662kW and 850Nm, revving all the way to a heady 9,000rpm, while electric turbochargers ensure lightning-quick responsiveness.
Despite all this technology packed between its axles, the F80 boasts a dry weight of just 1,525kg, resulting in an extreme power to weight ratio that allows it to sprint from 0-100km/h in 2.15 seconds and to 200km/h in just 5.75.
Its striking new body, featuring butterfly doors, is made from pre-preg carbon fibre and cured in the autoclave using F1-derived technology. Its multi-material structure was designed with the mindset of using the best suited material for each individual area and while much of the body and tub are hewn from carbon fibre, the front and rear subframes are made from aluminium.
The new supercar also pushes aerodynamic efficiency to new heights never seen before on a Ferrari road car, and as a result it produces up to 1,000kg of downforce at 250km/h.
“The perfect balance between downforce and top speed was the basis for every design choice, giving shape to a suite of extreme solutions befitting a true supercar,” Ferrari said.
Its front end, which alone develops 460kg of downforce at 250km/h, was inspired by the aerodynamic concepts employed in Formula One and the World Endurance Championship. The rear end produces 590kg of downforce thanks to a complex rear wing-diffuser system that feeds off the downforce produced by the underbody.
The F80 is also equipped with the most advanced suite of vehicle dynamic management systems ever offered in a Ferrari, and its active suspension system has been re-engineered from the ground up. It features completely independent suspension at all four corners, actuated by four 48V electric motors.
The car’s cockpit is completely centred around the driver, so much so that Ferrari calls it a “1+” layout even though it is still technically homologated as a two-seater. Ferrari purposefully narrowed the cabin in order to maximise aerodynamic benefits.
Yet unlike some of its iconic predecessors, the F80 is actually said to be quite comfortable to drive.
“Unlike anything else in the current supercar world, the F80 combines all these attributes with uncompromising levels of usability on the road, where it can be driven with ease,” Ferrari said.
“This ability shaped every choice made in terms of technology and architecture to achieve the goal, which at first sight seems impossible, of creating a track-oriented supercar that’s just as driveable as a production range model.”
IOL