Maranello's house has just presented in Geneva what they consider to be his “masterpiece”. The Ferrari of Ferraris: the LaFerrari.
The wait is finally over. After many teasers – always flowered by the journalistic speculation that usually accompanies Ferrari launches, the latest son of Maranello's house has just been introduced. And the baptism – not to say birth… – happened right in front of us, during the Geneva Motor Show.
The master of ceremonies, in front of an immense battalion made up of hundreds of journalists and photographers with camera in hand, was, as it should be, Luca di Montezemolo, President of the Italian brand. His expression left no room for doubt: Maranello is proud of her offspring. Di Montezemolo did not hesitate to say that this is "LaFerrari", or in a literal translation into our language: The Ferrari! Hence the name «LaFerrari».
But will LaFerrari have any arguments to be the Ferrari of the Ferraris? Let's start with the aesthetics. I confess that after half an hour uninterrupted in which I could see, hear and feel the LaFerrari, looking at the photos I feel less impressed with its design. But live, all the lines and curves of his design make sense. If we want to make comparisons, seeing LaFerrari in photo is the equivalent of seeing an exhibition of fine arts through photos: there is something that is lost in this intermediation.
The truth is, the design works well. But maybe not as much as some had hoped...
In the technological field, Ferrari has put all its know-how into practice. Some conservatism has been put aside, it is true. But not enough to abandon the V12 architecture. The 12 cylinders are still there, as well as the generous 6.2 liters of capacity capable of blowing up to 9250rpm. All this at the expense of a smaller and more turbocharged unit, as is becoming fashionable in the industry.
Instead, the "nobility" of the engine was left untouched and the heat engine was chosen to be assisted with an electric unit, an absolute first for Ferrari. The first provides 789hp of power, while the second adds another 161hp to this equation. What makes up the frightening figure of 950hp of power. We have officially entered the field of "spaceships"!
Translating this into more concrete numbers, what is at stake is an acceleration from 0-100km/h in less than 3 seconds and from 0-200km/h in less than 7 seconds. If you wait 15 seconds, we advise you not to take your eyes off the road (or circuit…) because by that time they have already played at 300km/h. So 2 seconds faster than rival Mclaren P1!
Numbers that are not unrelated to the fact that the electric motor provides an extra dose of constant torque at all speeds. This engine is powered by a battery charging system similar to the one used in the Scuderia Ferrari, which regenerates the energy dissipated during braking and takes advantage of all the power not used by the engine. The system was named HY-KERS.
In comparative terms the LeFerrari is 3 seconds faster than the F12 and 5 seconds faster than its predecessor, on the famous Fiorano circuit, owned by the Italian brand.
All reasons for Ferrari to be confident in its child prodigy. Let the battles begin!
Text: Guilherme Ferreira da Costa