Following on from the LaFerrari, Enzo, F50, F40 and 288 GTO the new Ferrari F80 supercar has some seriously big boots to fill.
The new halo car from Maranello borrows tech from Formula 1 and Le Mans ensuring that no tifosi will be disappointed by a performance that eclipses both the Mercedes-AMG One and the just-released McLaren W1.
According to Ferrari the F80 will fire from 0-62mph in 2.15 seconds and reach 124mph in 5.75 seconds, while its top speed is 217mph. That’s made possible thanks to the most potent and innovative powertrain ever installed in a Ferrari road car, which delivers a total of 1,184bhp.
What’s even more astonishing is that it achieves this with fewer cylinders and a smaller capacity than its predecessors. The lion’s share of motive power comes from a new version of the 2,992-cc V6 engine that made its debut in the 296. In the F80 it makes 888bhp courtesy of a host of components derived from the 499P Le Mans Hypercar including the engine architecture, crankcase, timing system, oil pump recovery circuit, bearings, injectors and GDI pumps. There’s F1 tech too, with MGU-K and MGU-H systems recovering kinetic and heat energy, and e-turbos to deliver lag-free boost.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, the F80 is a hybrid, with three electric motors adding 296bhp between them. Two drive the front axle with the third unit serving as the combustion engine starter, providing energy recovery and torque-fill. The battery pack is a compact 2.3kWh in capacity and there’s no facility for plug-in charging. Instead up to 70kW of electrical energy can be zapped back in under deceleration.
An eight-speed dual-clutch F1 transmission gives the driver total control of the gears, but the F80 also offers plenty of assists to make high speed driving safer and more enjoyable on road or track. The all-round independent suspension features a re-engineered active ride system and there’s an updated Side Slip Control system. There are three drive modes: Hybrid, Performance and Qualify, selectable from the steering wheel Manettino switch. A new type of longer-fiber carbon fibre is used in the Brembo braking system which provides improved wear resistance and better heat dissipation.
The F80’s core structure is a carbon fibre safety cell, with aluminium front and rear subframes screwed in place with titanium fittings, while the bodywork is moulded in pre-peg carbon fibre. Ferrari says the styling is inspired by aerospace – most obviously in the bubble canopy – but also references the F40 in the vertical panel that stands proud of the door. Active aerodynamics are a key feature with a two-position rear wing, that can be switched from a High Downforce to Low Drag setting and the front splitter incorporates an Active Reverse Gurney Flap. Working together they can produce a combined 1,000kg of downforce.
To help the driver fully exploit the F80’s potential the cockpit has been designed to fully focus on the pilot. Ferrari calls the layout “1+”. It’s “an original new solution that sets the driver unequivocally as the protagonist in the cabin.” The passenger seat is seat further back than the driver’s which allowed Ferrari to get away with a narrower design, but it’s also styled to blend in with the cockpit so that when unoccupied the F80 has the feel of a single-seater race car.
Head of product development Gianmaria Fulgenzi says Ferrari wants “owners to be addicted to driving the car and not just own it.”
Those owners will number 799, which will make it the least-limited edition flagship since the F40, and you can bet they’re all taken.
