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SKIP OVER a couple of details and the SF90 Stradale sounds like the sort of Ferrari than those predicting the demise of drivers' cars and driving for pleasure have been expecting.
It's Ferrari's first PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle). its first four-wheel-drive sports car is built on a new •multi-material' platform and has complete y new driver interfaces. The main detail that's missing is that, as well as an electric drivetrain, the SF90 also has Maranello's most powerful V8 ever, all 769bhp of it. And this, when added to the electric power, gives a total of almost 1000bhp. making the SF90 Ferrari's most powerful road car ever. It's Ferrari's fastest road car ever, too. shading even the LaFerrari: it takes just 2Ssec to get to 100km/h. It also laps Fiorano faster. crossing the finish line some 64m (0.7sec) ahead of the LaFerrari, all of which is impressive given that it's only a little more powerful and a chunk heavier.
Ferrari claims a dry weight of 1570kg (making it over 300kg more than the LaFerrari), so a curb weight Of 1700kg is realistic. One Of the keys to its performance IS that electric drivetrain, which has an electric motor for each front wheel, increasing traction and allowing the dynamics to be manipulated. So, the SF90 — named to mark the 90th anniversary of Scuderia Ferrari - is a hybrid supercar in the mold of the LaFerrari (with its KERS system). Porsche 918 and McLaren Pl. But. unlike them, it's a production model. Collectors aren't being lured in by promises of limited numbers.
Even so, given the new technology packed into it and the Clm price of the LaFerrari, the ballpark price of the SF90 is remarkably low at around E400k The SF90 doesn't replace any model and is the second of five promised this year. Looking at the figures, the SF90's hybridization IS less about economy and emissions and more about maximizing performance. For instance, the relatively small battery pack sited behind the seats gives a maximum electric-only range of 25km but, with energy recovery, the drivetrain will deliver 986bhp for a full lap of any racetrack in the world. including the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The presentation of the SF90 Stradale was in an enclosed arena. purpose-built on the Fiorano test track, and before we LeR Main is got to see the car. it was Ilve-sketched on a blank sheet ot paper by head ot design Flavio Manzoni. When the car itself howled into view. it was less radical than the sketch. as is often the case. and strikingly similar in dimensions and overall shape to the 488/F8. The figures show it's 20mm lower and 100mm longer but the proportions have changed too. with the cockpit further torward and the tall lower. Indeed. although it incorporates lots of ot new technology and lots ot Ferrari firsts.
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Ferrari describes the SF90's flat-plane-crank VB as all-new and. indeed. it's now up to 3990cc thanks to an increase in bore diameter and features new. slimmer cylinder heads with redesigned combustion chambers and central injectors.
The lower section ot the engine is also redesigned. while an even smaller-diameter flywheel has allowed the engine to be mounted yet lower in the chassis. Peer in through the glazed engine cover: the V8 looks incredibly low The complex exhaust is now made in Inconel. saving weight. and we are promised that the sound from the engine Will is improved over the 488. being richer and more rewarding. It develops 769bhp and 5901b tt (the FB Tributo makes 710 and 570) and is bolted to an all-new dual-clutch transmission that has gained an eighth gear and a higher torque capacity yet is 7kg lighter. thanks in part to not having a reverse gear. that task is assumed by the electric motors.
Making it a hybrid adds 270kg-worth ot electric motors. controllers and battery There are two electric motors on the front axle. driving each front wheel independently. and another between the engine and gearbox. There's an E-Diff on the rear axle. too. so there are a great deal ot control Ferrari's engineers can assert to create the dynamic behavior they want Expect Ferrari's electronic •side slip control' to be even more effective at managing on-limit behavior There are tour selectable hybrid drive modes. •Denver• is pure electric. which will be great tor making stealthy exits from underground car parks and take lycra up to 25km with a maximum speed ot 84mph_ Key-on is •Hybrid' which chooses the propulsion mix based on demand and charges the battery with regenerated energy •performance' keeps the VB running to maintain battery charge so that maximum response and torque vectoring are always available. and 'Quality' prioritizes tull availability ot 986bhp As the SF90 has to blend regenerative braking from the electric motors with that ot the conventional hydraulic system. the SF90 scores another Ferrari first by being its first brake-by-wire road car Motor resistance provides the braking force in general driving. the hydraulic side being called on only in heavy braking. Even so. it features new Brembo front calipers with aero scoops ted with cooling air by intakes beneath the new-look headlamps.
These headlamps are a departure from the L-shaped type favored tor the past tew years and give the SF90 a quite different look. as do the twin rear lamps. which somehow evoke the look ot a Corvette. The SF90 is the first Ferrari to feature tull matrix LCD headlamps with active beam control. Available from launch. the Assetto Fiorano• version is much more hardcore. almost like one ot, the road racers featured in this issue's cover story The door skins and underbody are in carbon fiber. it has Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and employs titanium tor its exhaust and road springs. the latter paired with Multimatic dampers like those used in GT racing. There's also a fixed carbon rear spoiler that helps develop 390kg ot downforce at 250km/h_ On the standard model. just ahead of the rear deck is a device that Ferrari calls a •shut-off Gurney'.
This is a section ot bodywork that drops to disrupt the airflow and increase downforce on the rear axle tor greater stability in cornering. 14 AUTUMN 2019 direction changes and under braking. Ferrari is seeking a patent tor it The cockpit looks different thanks to the new HMI. with much ot the switchgear being provided largely - and rather boldly - by touchpads. There are buttons on the steering wheel tor the indicators and a couple of ot new knurled thumbwheels tor wipers and lights. but even the start •button' is just a part ot a touch screen. The dials. navigation and car into are provided by a curved. 16in digital screen shaped to it the instrument binnacle. which is blank until the ignition is om Once fired up. the large central tachometer looks familiar. apart from an extra outer band showing battery charge.
In a subtle homage to models gone by. the trio ot switches tor reverse. auto/manual and launch control are set in an aluminum finisher atop the center console styled to look like the gate ot a manual gearshift. There's no doubt that. with the SF90. Ferrari is upping the game It offers the level ot performance that Ferrari itself was charging over Elm tor with the LaFerrari. and even though it's nota limited edition. it will surely give its rivals pause. As previous models have demonstrated Ferrari is very adept at integrating systems and exploiting the potential ot technology. so we expect the SF90 to deliver when we get to drive it in late surrender What comes next? Well. the arrival ot a hybrid V8 offers opportunities tor the same drivetrain to be used with a down-sized engine. maybe a turbocharged V6. tor F8 Tributo levels ot performance Whichever way Ferrari goes next. the hybrid drivetrain will be part ot the package.
words John Barker
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AUTUMN 2019 11
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