The first front-wheel-drive Ferrari. Sort of.
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Ferrari has revealed its latest supercar, the SF90 Stradale, and it is a Ferrari of several firsts. Not only is it the Italian manufacturer's first plug-in hybrid (the LaFerrari was a mild hybrid), it is also the first Ferrari to be front-wheel-drive.
Well, sort of - the SF90 Stradale can run on battery power alone for up to 25km and while it has three electric motors (two on the front axle and one on the rear), on battery power alone only the two front motors are used, so technically, it is capable of being driven by the front wheels alone. For 25km and up to 135kmh, at least.
While that's a fun fact, it's the other first that is more significant - the PHEV thing - because it also means that for the first time in Ferrari's history a V8 powers the marque's flagship model.
But what a V8 it is - 4.0-litre turbo unit pumps out 574kW of power and 800Nm of torque through a new 8-speed dual clutch transmission, making it the most powerful V8 the company has ever produced. But then you also get the electric power on top of that.
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The electric motors produce a combined power output of 162kW that takes the SF90's total system output to a fairly healthy 736kW, which is enough to propel it to 100kmh from a standing start in just 2.5 seconds and on to 200kmh in a staggering 6.7 seconds, with a top speed of 340kmh.
Ferrari also says the SF90 Stradale is the first Ferrari sports car to be equipped with AWD, because the AWD FF/GTC4Lusso are grand tourers, you see…
To control all this power the SF90 gets an additional steering wheel-mounted selector - dubbed the eManettino - that the driver can choose from four different power unit management modes.
The 'eDrive' mode is pure-electric, with the internal combustion engine remaining off and motion entrusted entirely to the electric front axle. Ferrari says this mode is 'ideal for city centre driving or any other situation in which the driver wishes to eliminate the sound of the Ferrari V8'. As if.
Hybrid mode is the default setting when the car is turned on, in which the control logic autonomously decides whether to keep the internal combustion engine running or turn it off.
Performance mode keeps the ICE running because the priority is more on charging the battery than on efficiency, guaranteeing that power is instantly and fully available when required.
Lastly there is the wonderfully ludicrously named 'Qualify' mode that 'allows the system to achieve maximum power output by allowing the electric motors to work at their maximum potential' and prioritises performance everything else.
Ferrari says that the greatest challenge in creating the aerodynamics of the SF90 Stradale was posed by the need to deliver downforce and aerodynamic efficiency at a level 'never before achieved either by the company or its competitors.'
The aerodynamics department worked closely with Ferrari Design to produce downforce and efficiency figures Ferrari claims are unmatched by any other car in the segment, with a massive 390kg of downforce generated at 250 kmh.