Sunday Star-Times

The ultimate tease from Ferrari

The ultimate Ferrari is due next year, but its maker is being very coy, writes

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We’ll see this new Nissan on racetracks next year as the latest entry in the Aussie V8 Supercars, and the new showroom model, a 2.4-litre four, will be the company’s first mid-sized sedan here for years. FERRARI LET slip into the ether last week a couple of images of its new Enzo hypercar replacemen­t that bears the F150 codename.

The pictures don’t tell us much, beyond the fact that the F150’ s looks incorporat­e elements from the Enzo, such as the elongated headlights and a passenger cabin that is considerab­ly narrower than the rest of the bodywork.

The carbon fibre chassis of the Special Limited Series model, as Ferrari also calls the F150, has already been revealed – at the Paris Motor Show.

It features four different types of carbon fibre, both hand-rolled and produced in an autoclave depending on where they will be used, to provide the greatest rigidity for the lowest weight.

Potential impact areas are made out of the same T1000 carbon fibre material that’s used in the Ferrari F1 cars’ nose cones.

Ferrari says that, compared with the Enzo, torsional and flexional rigidity are improved by 27 and 22 per cent respective­ly, despite weight being reduced by around 20 per cent.

Sadly, Ferrari hasn’t enlightene­d us about the engine yet, but we do know that the F150 will be powered by a hybrid powertrain comprising a mid-mounted V12, a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and a compact battery pack.

It is expected that the V12 will produce more than the 550kW that the latest F12 Berlinetta churns out, as Ferrari says it will be the most powerful model they have ever made.

Although the power of the electric motor remains a secret, total combined output will probably exceed 600kW, making the battle with the F150’s rivals – the Porsche’s 918 Spyder and the McLaren’s P1 – very interestin­g.

And it’s price? Well, they won’t tell us that either.

 ??  ?? Horse play: Tantalisin­g glimpses of the new Ferrari have been released.
Horse play: Tantalisin­g glimpses of the new Ferrari have been released.

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