The successor to the Enzo is the fastest road car in Ferrari’s history. It could be yours for a cool $1.2 million. Wait — they’ve all been sold.
After months of “leaked” images and speculation, we can finally confirm details of the Ferrari hybrid supercar. First off, it is called LaFerrari. The name, which raised a few eyebrows at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and literally means “the Ferrari,” is meant to convey that this car represents the ultimate expression of what the Italian automaker strives to create.
The LaFerrari has done the unthinkable and made Ferrari’s 458 Italia look dated. In an instant the Enzo looks almost comical. For sure, the dust will need to settle before we compare LaFerrari to some of the automaker’s greats.
If you’re in any doubt regarding LaFerrari’s potential, this beast will accelerate to 62 mph in less than three seconds and reach 124 mph in under seven seconds. Top speed? How about 218 mph? Two hundred and eighteen miles per hour — from a hybrid.
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2013 Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari LaFerrari
What is it? Ferrari calls it a limited-series special — a rather expensive, elaborate test mule that showcases the pinnacle of Ferrari’s expertise. So right now this is the ultimate car ever to emerge from the factory in Maranello, Italy. But because this is a Ferrari, it’s a hybrid supercar that benefits from the automaker’s direct relationship with the world of Formula One racing. You can expect the technology used to refine the LaFerrari to filter down to all future Ferrari models, specifically the hybrid system. These are changing times and even Ferrari has to adapt.
What’s hot? Let’s face it. Although hybrid technology is undeniably important, we still want to revel in the fast facts. Carbon-dioxide emissions have never won any bragging rights — yet.
Power comes from the 6.3-liter V12 engine found in the F12 Berlinetta, but in the case of the LaFerrari it develops 789 horsepower. Add the 161 horses provided by the electric motor and the combined power is a massive 950 ponies. And we haven’t even mentioned the 660 lb-ft of total torque available to the driver.
Ferrari’s hybrid technology, known as Hy-Kers (hybrid-kinetic energy recovery system), ensures this massive torque is available at low revs while optimizing the V12?s performance at higher revs. The system is composed of two electric motors: one powering the driven wheels, the second powering other functions. The batteries, which weigh less than 132 pounds, are charged under braking and when the V12 produces more torque than required. The Hy-Kers system is a direct beneficiary of the F1 team’s developments, and the Italian automaker says they designed the LaFerrari so future applications of the car can be driven exclusively under electric power.
The chassis uses no fewer than four different types of hand-laminated carbon fiber using the same design and production methods as Ferrari’s Formula One cars.
What’s not? It’s genuinely hard to find faults with the LaFerrari. While it would be easy to mock the name choice, it seems trivial to do so in the wake of such a technological masterpiece.
And sure, you could argue the styling may not be to everyone’s taste, but that’s not much of an argument. Send LaFerrari into a hall of mirrors and even then you’d struggle to find this car’s bad side.
Perhaps the only thing to bemoan is that we’ll never even get the chance to own one.
How much and when? It’s a moot point: Each and every one of the 499 LaFerraris being built have already been sold. That’s right, 499 lucky souls have already ordered their LaFerrari and will be $1.2 million poorer as a result. Or should that be richer? After all, this is probably the closest you can currently get to driving a Formula One car on the road. And you can even mention that you drive a hybrid when dinner party conversation dictates.
MSN Autos’ verdict: Today in Geneva a new legend may have been born — the fastest road car ever to wear the Ferrari badge. One might say the LaFerrari is the “torque” of Geneva.
Source: MSN Autos