Ferrari F80: A new era of innovation and legacy unveiled

Until I sat in front of the stage set up in the brand-new Ferrari factory called "E-building," I didn't know why I had come here. I couldn't take any photos or recordings, so you only see pictures provided by the manufacturer.

But I still had a great time. This way of getting to know the car allowed me to think about how I would design it myself. What engine would I give it? The flagship V12, the V8 with the greatest potential, or perhaps a new V6? How much would I electrify it? How would I make it even more exceptional than the recently unveiled McLaren W1 or the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale? What name would I give it?

After a moment, everything became clear. The Italians standing before me recited all the key numbers, and with each new figure, I was more and more amazed. Then I learned the name F80, a sentimental return to the F40 and F50 that today achieved record auction results. This coincided with the brand's 80th anniversary, which will fall in autumn 2027. By then, however, the model's production will already end—the first units will reach customers about a year from now.

And then I saw the car live, and my jaw dropped to the floor. The first thing that catches your eye is the very low body, tightly wrapping around the wheels with a diameter of 51 cm at the front and 53 cm at the back. Then, you notice the black strip at the front, reminiscent of the 12Cilindri, which becomes the hallmark of the new generation of cars from this brand (Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni compares it to the masks covering the eyes of robots and soldiers in sci-fi movies).

Eventually, you notice the rear wing making a big comeback in this line after 30 years; the designers last used it in the F50. Their current successors argue that it was necessary here to meet the extraordinarily ambitious aerodynamic goal: a downforce of up to 1,050 kg at 250 km/h. Even amidst such cosmic and frequently surprising Ferrari projects and many competitors, the Ferrari F80 is an icon on par with its great predecessors.

Let's start with all the key figures you came here for. Power: 1,200 PS. Sprint to 60 mph: 2.15 seconds. To 200 km/h: 5.75 seconds. Braking distance from that speed back to zero: 98 metres. Top speed: limited to 350 km/h. Dimensions similar to other cars in this class (4.84 metres in length, 1.14 metres high, 2.06 metres wide, 2.67 metres wheelbase).

Fuel consumption? Still in the process of homologation. However, you can expect that the figures in this area will meet the current strict standards due to the use of a hybrid drive.

A decade ago, the previous generation of hypercars experimented with various solutions. The McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder were plug-ins capable of travelling a few and even 30 kilometres on electricity alone. The LaFerrari was a classic hybrid, which only later gained the option to move with parking speeds on electricity at customers' request. Today, the W1 and the F80 have somewhat regressed: the McLaren can travel in electric mode for 2 km, and the Ferrari is again not adapted for charging or driving without an internal combustion engine.

Italians explain to me that this is related to the struggle for the lowest possible weight. Here, it weighs 1,525 kg dry, which, on the one hand, is a worse result than key competitors but 60 kg better than the LaFerrari presented 10 years ago. Overall, it's a commendable achievement. It's precisely in such areas as low weight, not pure power, that the creators see the joy of driving the F80.

Such words seem like blatant flattery, but the fact is that against Bugatti, Koenigseggs, or the new generation of electric hypercars with power reaching even 2,000 hp, Ferrari hasn't shown anything groundbreaking.

Ferrari's chief engineer, Gianmaria Fugulenzi, however, has nothing good to say about the aforementioned ones. He argues that such a chase for numbers kills the joy of driving a car on the edge and even during normal daily driving: The F80 is designed to be a car that doesn’t overwhelm the owner and doesn’t tire him every time he presses the accelerator pedal.

I also noticed that the F80's engine is groundbreaking even according to the numbers. The heart is, after all, not a V12, like in the two predecessors, nor a V8 like in the "serial supercar," as Ferrari itself calls it, that is, the SF90 (and F40), but rather a three-litre V6.

At first glance, the decision is surprising and leaves a bit of disappointment. Still, on the other hand, it's motivated exactly by what Ferrari is about - a close exchange of technology with motorsport. The V6 is currently used in the brand's Formula 1 and endurance racing cars, where it has already won the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans twice. Similar to F1, here, too, the unit is assisted by MGU-K and MGU-H and powered by an electric turbocharger.

Ferrari's product manager, Enrico Galliera, confides in me that the decision to choose this particular unit for this model was made about 4 years ago, around the same time as the racing 499P. Its choice here was motivated for precisely the same reasons as in the case of the subsequent 24-hour race winner: the greatest efficiency, the least resistance, and the greatest potential for development.

While the F163 unit debuted three years ago in the 296 GTB, where it already boasted an impressive output of 663 PS, it has managed to squeeze a whopping 900 PS from just three litres of displacement! Considering that 20 years ago, Ferrari's result seems almost unbelievable to achieve 1,001 PS, the Veyron needed a displacement of eight litres, 16 cylinders, four turbochargers, and ten radiators.

And here, it's just part of the overall concept alongside three electric motors (each at the front wheels with a power of 142 PS/164 Nm and MGU-K with a power of 95 PS near the combustion engine). The battery, with a capacity of 2.28 kWh and a voltage of up to 860 V, is capable of delivering a maximum of 242 kW. Like the combustion part, it is characterised by incredible efficiency, that is, energy density, weighing less than 40 kg.

The F80 is the first model in which Ferrari has independently made the entire electric drive component. Previously, they relied on a British startup, YASA, which Mercedes acquired. One can expect a further emphasis on brand development in electrification.

In light of the F80's versatility announcements, the next figure seems amusing: 34 litres of boot capacity. It comes down to the shelf behind the seats, where a tiny red leather suitcase was thrown (and back in the days of the 250 GT, the brand could make much better tailor-made bags!).

Ultimately, you feel you're dealing with an extremely extreme construction, essentially a racing car adapted for road use. Ferrari uses a carbon fibre frame only in this line of models (in this case, a sandwich composite with Rohacell and Nomex materials with auxiliary aluminium frames at the front and back) and upward-opening doors, which add even more drama to the simple act of taking the driver's seat.

Surprisingly, this frame is asymmetric: the middle section on the left and right sides is differently formed because the creators decided on an unprecedented seat configuration called "1+."

The driver's seat is slightly pushed forward. The official rationale for this solution is that it allows the driver to feel more like in a single-seater race car and focus on the road. The practical explanation is that the designers wanted a maximally compact (also narrow) cabin; this way, people sitting in the car don't rub elbows.

Because of this, sitting in a stationary F80 is an exceptional experience, even if the dashboard's design is trivial and subordinated to functionality (a simple screen visible through the nearly square steering wheel, a few buttons, and a piece of metal on the centre console).

Finally, one more batch of numbers. The price of the Ferrari F80 is €3.6 million (£3.2 million). Over four times more than the SF90 XX Stradale, half more than the McLaren W1, and comparable to the Bugatti Tourbillon. More shockingly, the planned production is for 799 units. For comparison, Bugatti built 500 units of the Chiron over 8 years, and companies like Pagani and Koenigsegg have built fewer than about 300 cars each in their entire history.

So I asked the brand's sales director, Emanuele Carando if they've gone too far with these plans. He just smiled and told me that before I arrived, during the past ten days, Ferrari's top clients from around the world had visited this place to see the same show. At this moment, he faces such a problem that there are already three interested buyers for each car, and he doesn't know how to tell 2/3 of the world's wealthy, with millions in their hands, that he can't take their order. Even if the F80 doesn't stand out in terms of many numbers compared to competitors, with these most important figures, Ferrari is in a class by itself.