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October 1, 2021
A Supercar That Feels Like a Ticket to Heaven – Test Drive the Ferrari SF90, the Most Powerful Road Car in Ferrari History | Ferrari
Hybrid System with V8 Engine and Three Motors Totals 1,000 Horsepower
It's not for everyone, this performance. Thanks to the plug-in hybrid system, which combines a specially designed 3990cc V8 engine with a total of three electric motors—two at the front and one at the rear—it's fast at all speed ranges. The moment you lightly press the slightly heavy accelerator pedal, you experience a ferocious dash.
When in hybrid mode, it runs on electric power alone for about 25 km. Driving in EV mode feels strange. A Ferrari, with its engine encased in its body, glides along solely on the high-pitched sounds from the motors and cooling systems.
When the drive battery is depleted, the engine starts. The sound at this moment is surprisingly subdued for a Ferrari, likely due to noise regulations. Nevertheless, as the revs climb, the feeling of acceleration, with torque building rapidly, makes you feel like you're heading to heaven.
Looking at the numbers, the maximum output of the engine is 574 kW and the motors are 217 kW, demonstrating its power. It's astonishing that when the output of these two different power sources is combined and converted to Italian horsepower, it reaches 1,000 hp (cv).
Ferrari Japan's public relations department mentions that the "Wet" mode, which limits engine torque at startup, is available via the manually operated drive mode selector. Even then, it's more than sufficiently fast.
The brilliance of this car's design isn't just about the outer skin. A prime example is the engine bay. You can see the large engine mounted low within the frame, as if sunk to the bottom. Ferrari explains that lowering the engine's mounting position was done to reduce the center of gravity and enhance handling stability. They were able to achieve this lower mounting by miniaturizing the flywheel, among other measures.
Furthermore, the rear of the car is equipped with an innovative aerodynamic appendage called the "shut-off Gurney." This device, which can change its angle electronically, manipulates airflow over the car's upper surface to generate downforce, pressing the vehicle into the ground and enhancing stability.
Various parts of the body have openings to draw in air for cooling the hybrid system, and even the shape of the brake calipers is designed for aerodynamic efficiency in cooling the brakes. The stability at high speeds is truly remarkable, and the benefits of the aerodynamic body are clearly felt.