Yahoo Finance The Hypercar War Is On — Meet the All-New Ferrari F80
It's a great time to be a power-hungry hypercar buyer, providing you have both the wealth and connections to climb to the top of those carefully guarded allocation lists.
Two weeks ago, the McLaren W1 was officially unveiled — the P1 successor promising the heady combination of 1258 hp, 2200 pounds of downforce, and a 3084-pound dry curb weight. Now Ferrari has revealed its alternative, with Road & Track having seen it at a preview event in Maranello. The Ferrari F80 will have 1184 hp, approximately 2300 pounds of downforce, and a 3362-pound dry weight.
While the similarities between the two cars are striking, there are many significant differences, both in terms of engineering and the broader philosophy of each company. Both cars will be hybridized, but while the McLaren uses a V-8, the F80's core powerplant is more surprising. Ferrari's new halo model will use a twin-turbo V-6, a configuration which gives it a tangential link to the company's Formula 1 cars but which stands in marked contrast to the normally aspirated V-12s of Ferrari's most recent more-than-supercars, the Ferrari LaFerrari and Ferrari Enzo. An equally significant distinction between the F80 and the W1 is driveline: the McLaren is exclusively rear-wheel driven, and the Ferrari boasts an advanced all-wheel-drive system.
While refusing to be drawn into direct comparison, Enrico Galliera, Ferrari's chief marketing and commercial officer, acknowledged that many will see the F80 and W1 as natural rivals.
"From a commercial point of view, I bless the competition," he said. "It has stimulated the market."
He's not exaggerating: Ferrari has clearly pushed the boundaries further than it did with any previous road car. The F80's 120-degree V-6 is a specific-output superstar, extracting 888 hp in its own right from just under three liters of swept capacity. It will rev to 9200 rpm and is boosted by a pair of 48-volt turbochargers that can spin up electrically to increase pressure and minimize lag. The engine works in conjunction with a hybrid system that contributes more power through a trio of motors: at the rear, one is integrated into the engine, delivering up to 94 hp; a pair at the front are rated at 140 hp each and allow for torque vectoring, as in the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Lamborghini Revuelto.
The Ferrari's 800-volt 2.28-kWh battery is designed for rapid charge and discharge cycles, and can deliver up to 282 kW of power at once. But unlike some rivals, the F80 isn't a plug-in hybrid, and it won't be able to travel under pure electrical power.
The electric front axle explains some of the almost 280-pound difference in weight between the F80 and W1, but it will also significantly improve drivability in low-grip conditions. That difference is shown in the claimed acceleration numbers. We only have the respective manufacturers' figures at present, but the Ferrari's 2.1-second 0–62-mph time is nearly 30 percent better than the McLaren's stated 2.7-second claim over the same benchmark. As velocities rise, the gap diminishes; McLaren quotes a 5.8-second 0–124-mph time, and Ferrari has to break out an extra digit to go better, with a claimed 5.75 seconds. That's going to be a hell of a drag race.
Other technical details make clear that the F80 represents the very best of Ferrari. Suspension wishbones are made from 3-D-printed metal and look more like art than functional engineering. Pushrod-operated springs and dampers sit at each corner, the shock absorbers being adaptive units produced by supplier Multimatic which can vary ride height by up to 25 mm as well as regulate damping forces — something they do well enough to function also as an anti-roll system in the absence of physical sway bars. Brakes are enormous CCM-R carbon-ceramic discs — 16.0-inch diameter up front, 15.4-inch at the rear — with Ferrari claiming the F80 can stop from 62 mph in just 92 feet. Wheels are carbon fiber as well, marking the first time the company has used the material with a five-spoke design. Buyers will be able to choose between Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 and track-biased Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires.
Many more systems will make invisible, driver-flattering contributions in the background. We've only just experienced Ferrari's eighth-generation Side Slip Control in the freshly launched 12Cilindri, but the F80 will get what is described as SSC 9.0. This takes input from a software-based estimator which, the company says, "is based on the concept of the digital twin, a mathematic model that uses the parameters acquired by sensors installed on the car to replicate its behavior virtually." It will then use virtual reality to sharpen its response in actual reality.
The powertrain will have three different modes. Hybrid is intended for everyday use, with Performance and Qualify being track settings — the first intended for consistent power across long stints, the second maximizing assistance at the cost of battery charge. Ferrari has also introduced what it calls Boost Optimization, which allows the F80 to learn the layout of a track to work out where the most beneficial place to deploy the electrical power would be, which then happens automatically.
The F80's aerodynamics and styling are intimately related. On first impression, the Ferrari looks like a much calmer and less busy piece of design than the hyper-aggressive wing-covered McLaren W1, but the Ferrari's form is still dictated in large part by the need to manage airflow. Behind the 12Cilindri-like headlight "blade" at the front — the light elements hidden within tinted glass — is a huge duct to direct airflow at the front of the car, much of it then passing inside the squared-off fenders to be channeled down the sides of the car. The underbody incorporates a large diffuser element; there are also active aero elements at the front, and a rear wing that can both move up and down and adjust its angle of attack.
In the flesh, the F80 has a huge amount of presence, only some of which comes from its substantial size. At 190.5 inches in length and 81.1 inches in width, it's 5.4 inches longer and 2.7 inches wider than the LaFerrari was, and a huge 18.9 inches longer than the Ferrari F40.
Despite the exterior size, the F80's cabin feels distinctly cozy. A chance to sit in the driver's seat proved that headroom was tight for a six-footer once the dihedral-hinged portal was closed. Any buyers above average height contemplating using this car on a track will likely find their helmets knocking against the tops of the doors. Ferrari has given the F80 an offset passenger position, slightly further back than that of the driver — this also consisting of what is basically a padded indentation in the rear firewall, rather than a proper seat. Passengers will always be a secondary consideration in a car like this; Ferrari's design design officer Flavio Manzoni even said the company briefly considered making the F80 a single-seater.
In one important regard, the Ferrari F80 has already beaten the McLaren W1 hollow. Ferrari is going to produce 799 F80s, priced at €2.96 million before taxes and options ($3.23 million at current exchange rates). All 799 have already been allocated to customers, many of whom will have bought other Ferraris to be considered officially worthy of purchasing this one. That figure makes the limited-to-399 $2.1 million McLaren W1 look like a steal.
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