Ferrari’s forthcoming SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid hypercar is well into development, and a car-spotter managed to capture video of two test cars lapping the famous Fiorano test track.
Despite the move to hybrid and turbocharging technologies, the SF90 Stradale still manages to sound like a proper Ferrari. Even through the muffing turbochargers, the engine wails appropriately as the test cars power out of Fiorano’s corners, and there’s an audible pop from the exhaust on each upshift.
Ferrari’s new hybrid showcase packs a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 paired to two front-mounted, 109-horsepower electric motors. These three powerplants put out a combined 987 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque.
Ferrari SF90 Stradale
Despite the complexity and additional components of its PHEV powertrain, Ferrari managed to keep the final package under the 3,500-pound mark. According to Ferrari, this combination is good for a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph.
The SF90 Stradale will slot in above the V-12-powered 812 Superfast despite its relatively humble V-8. We have the hybrid system to thank for that; per Ferrari CTO Michael Hugo Leiters, company engineers were lured in by the prospect of adding all-wheel drive.
The front-axle motors also provide torque vectoring, which provides dynamic advantages equivalent to a 440-pound reduction in total weight at lower speeds (below 130 mph).
Ferrari SF90 Stradale
In other words, it’s easier to put all that power down when you have more than two wheels to do it. Leiters believes the V-12 will live on for quite some time, even if the 6.5-liter monster is outperformed by a high-tech, 4.0-liter V-8.
Rather than pretend the SF90 Stradale is merely another conventional Ferrari (if such a thing even exists), its designers leaned into the tech while simultaneously acknowledging the Prancing Horse’s heritage. Look no further than the fuel filler caps, which sit on either side of its engine bay as they did on the iconic F40. In this case, one is a charging port for the 7.9-kwh battery. Inside, the transmission selector mimics a classic gated shifter in another nod to tradition.
Ferrari plans to introduce 15 new models (some of which will be new iterations of existing cars) by 2022; 60 percent of them will be hybrids. The SF90 Stradale is the first step toward that future.
