Ferrari’s next hypercar could downsize to a V6
The next Ferrari hypercar will bring the firm’s motorsport and road car programs closer than ever, potentially through a V6 hybrid powertrain
Ferrari hypercars don’t come around very often. Of course, the recent Monza SP, Daytona SP3 and SF90 XX models transcend the performance and exclusivity of a traditional supercar, but the firm’s last true halo product was the 2013 LaFerrari. As indicated by these spy shots, the wait for its long-awaited replacement (codenamed F250) is nearly over.
Predicted to be released some time next year, Ferrari’s next hypercar is expected to draw heavily from Formula 1 and Le Mans technology to make it the firm’s ultimate road car. While the rudimentary bodywork of this test mule isn’t representative of the final design, it does give an impression of its extreme aero philosophy.
The narrow-cabin proportions – designed to minimise the car’s frontal area – are similar to that of the LaFerrari, but the F250 will work the air much harder than its predecessor. There are enormous cooling vents and air channels all over the bodywork, including a deep cutout in the sills and a cluster of three intakes behind the cabin area.
As demonstrated by the SF90 XX, Ferrari is no longer averse to fitting fixed spoilers to its road cars, and the F250 will also buck tradition if this prototype is anything to go by. The wing will work in tandem with enormous venturi tunnels beneath the car, made possible by a tightly packaged drivetrain.
Signs point to the F250 using a 3-litre V6 derived from the 296 GTB, as is the engine used by Ferrari’s 499P Le Mans car. The high voltage sticker on this prototype confirms that it’ll be a hybrid, and Ferrari announced that its future electrified models will be equipped with either V6 or V8 engines (and not V12s) at its Capital Markets Day presentation last year. Given the firm’s pledge that the F250 will offer ‘technology transferred from Formula 1 and Le Mans Hypercar’, both of which use V6 engines, the six-cylinder option looks most likely.
There’s certainly potential for hypercar levels of power with this unit. The 296 GTB already generates 819bhp with support from a single electric motor, and the F250 will offer a more powerful hybrid setup – potentially including a pair of front motors – to produce in excess of 1000bhp. That would also make it Ferrari’s first four-wheel drive hypercar.
As ever, expect the new flagship to use a carbonfibre structure with a suite of advanced chassis electronics to serve as a test bed for future Ferraris.
