The Ferrari Enzo replacement arrives, Bella LaFerrari!
Ferrari unveiled its stunning new LaFerrari supercar (I’d call it a hypercar) at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. It’s the latest in a long line of super-exotic “limited series” cars from Ferrari and will become the fastest Ferrari of all time.
The LaFerrari is a hybrid supercar, mating a 6.3-litre V12 internal combustion engine with an electric motor – which helps provide extra thrust during acceleration. It can accelerate from 0-62 mph in less than 3 seconds, from 0-124 mph in less than 7 seconds from 0-186 mph in less than 15 seconds. Top speed is in excess of 217 mph and production is limited to just 499 models, so it will be a rare car.
The Italian manufacturer boasts that LaFerrari represents the pinnacle of its technology, but that such technology will filter down to other models in time. In particular, it means the hybrid system, know as Hy-Kers, which makes “full use of the Scuderia Ferrari’s F1 Kers know-how”.
The new hypercar, which is the successor to the Ferrari Enzo and measures 4.7m long and 2m wide, also features active aerodynamics, with the engineers aiming “to deliver the highest degree of aerodynamic efficiency ever achieved with any road car”. The package includes active diffusers at the front and rear of the car as well as an active rear spoiler, which only generate downforce when needed. They active automatically, depending on a myriad of factors, including driver input. It seems to have worked too: the new car has lapped Ferrari’s Fiorano track in less than 1min 20sec, which is 5sec faster than the Enzo and 3sec faster than its F12 Berlinetta, making it the fastest road car the company has ever built. Impressive stuff hey!
Speaking about the new car, Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s president, said: “We chose to call this model LaFerrari because it is the maximum expression of what defines our company – excellence. Excellence in terms of technological innovation, performance, styling and the sheer thrill of driving.
Aimed at our collectors, this is a truly extraordinary car which encompasses advanced solutions that, in the future, will find their way on to the rest of the range, and it represents the benchmark for the entire automotive industry. LaFerrari is the finest expression of our company’s unique, unparalleled engineering and design know-how, including that acquired in Formula 1.”
The LaFerrari represents Ferrari’s most ambitious project yet to push the boundaries of technology on a road car, drawing together the finest expression of the marque’s technical capabilities in both GT and Formula 1 engineering. It boasts the most extreme performance ever achieved by a Ferrari production car and features the most advanced and innovative technical solutions which will, in the future, filter down to the rest of the Ferrari range.
Well, what do you think? I think it’s cool, a bit radical looking, but I suppose Ferrari sees the need to challenge the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918.
You can read more about the LaFerrari on the official website. You can see all our pictures on our Facebook photo album.
