Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

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If you can get over the somewhat dubious name, Ferrari’s Enzo-succeeding LaFerrari supercar looks fully prepared to carry a torch that has been passed along through four previous generations of Ferrari supercar. Powered by the HY-KERS system that was developed alongside Ferrari’s Formula 1 racing efforts, LaFerrari incorporates a 789-hp, 6.3-liter V-12 internal combustion engine that is paired with a 120kW (161 hp) electric motor (a second electric motor powers the car’s ancillary components. Coupled with Ferrari’s F1 dual-clutch gearbox, Ferrari claims a sub-3-second 0-62 mph time and a sub 7-second 0-124 mph sprint. There’s no word on top speed, but Ferrari does claim that with a Fiorano lap-time of under 1:20, LaFerrari is a five seconds quicker around its home racetrack than the Enzo and more than three seconds quicker than Ferrari’s current front-engined flagship, the F12 Berlinetta. The HY-KERS battery pack is mounted on the floor of LaFerrari and is constructed alongside the battery packs built for racing applications. Ferrari says the132-lb pack is charged both under braking (including during full-ABS stops) and also in any event that the car’s traction control needs to bleed off torque to maintain control. Instead of being wasted, that extra torque is used to charge the battery. The hybrid system fits within the car’s wheelbase, contributing to 41/59 percent front/rear weight distribution â€" an “ideal” figure, according to Ferrari. What else? As we previously learned, LaFerrari’s chassis is constructed from carbon fiber for rigidity and light weight â€" four types of carbon fiber to be exact. The material is hand-laminated and cured in Ferrari’s race shop to the same technique as the company’s F1 machines. Speaking of F1, Ferrari’s top-tier racing drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are said to have had input to the car’s interior design in an attempt to bring as much single-seater driving position to LaFerrari as possible. As a result, the driver’s seat itself is fixed and built to driver specification, while the steering wheel and pedals are adjustable to achieve proper reach. Several active aerodynamic systems are fitted to the Ferrari, again drawing from past F1 experience. The front underbody guide vane, rear spoiler and diffusers are all moveable automatically based on the car’s electronic brain determining optimum position given driver input and road conditions. Brakes are provided by Brembo, a Ferrari F1 partner, and use light weight calipers and a new composition of carbon-ceramic disc. Unique Pirelli P-Zero tyres are found at all four corners. Styling was handled in-house, in keeping with current Ferrari practices. Chief designer Flavio Manzoni worked a bit of ‘60s sports-prototype in the front end (think 312 P) along with recent F1 (check out the nose’s vertical pillar). The overall effect is graceful sculpture instead of wind-tunnel exercise, which critics of the Pininfarina-penned Enzo will appreciate. There are still details we don’t know about Ferrari’s new predatore fondamentale; how much it weighs, how much it costs, and even how many gears it has are all yet-undisclosed. We do know that just 499 will be built and we suspect they’re already spoken for.

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