Maranello's Own Laferrari Slayer

That LaFerrari not rapid enough for you? Ferrari may just have the answer with the launch of its quickest ever car for the road – the SF90 Stradale

- John Barker

ANYONE WORRIED THAT FERRARI’S declared pursuit of a hybrid future would mean softer cars will welcome its new hypercar. The SF90 Stradale is a rangetopping, 986bhp, all-wheel-drive, V8-engined, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that’s Ferrari’s quickest ever road car: it’s quicker than the LaFerrari to 100kmph (2.5sec versus 3.0) and around Fiorano too. It marks the first time that the pinnacle of the range has had a V8 engine since the F40 – yet the SF90 is a series production car, not a limited edition, and will not replace any current model. It takes Ferrari into new territory.

The SF90 name references Scuderia Ferrari’s 90th anniversary, which is celebrated this year, and Ferrari describes the car as ‘completely revolutionary’. It was revealed at a choreographed show at the Fiorano test track that was heavily themed ‘Dare to Imagine’ and ‘Beyond’, and it’s true that it brings together some innovations and many technical features that have not been seen in a Ferrari before.

It’s the company’s first PHEV, first four-wheel-drive sports car, is built on a new ‘multi-material’ platform, has a completely new human-machine interface (HMI), and features the most powerful V8 the company has ever made. The SF90 certainly pushes boundaries, though its hybridisation is more significant for its contribution to dynamic performance than economy; the maximum electric-only range is 25km, but Michael Leiters, Ferrari’s chief technical officer, says that the hybrid powertrain will deliver the full 986bhp for a lap of any racetrack in the world, including the Nürburgring Nordschleife.