2014 Ferrari LaFerrari

Based around a carbon fibre monocoque designed by F1 technical director Rory Byrne, the Tipo F150 LaFerrari adopted an enhanced version of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which had been used in Grands Prix since 2009. Like any other hybrid set-up, KERS employed electric motors in addition to a traditional petrol engine. With an electric motor delivering maximum torque from zero rpm, the benefits included noticeably stronger acceleration. Kimi Räikkönen had emphatically proven this in Formula 1 when his KERS-equipped Ferrari stormed past Giancarlo Fisichella to win the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix—Fisichella attributing Räikkönen’s win to the hybrid system.

Dubbed HY-KERS, the production version in the LaFerrari mated a 120-kilowatt motor to a 6,262 cc 65-degree V-12 to deliver quite extraordinary results. Delivering a combined 950 horsepower and 715 lb ft of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch Getrag transmission, the car could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in a mere 2.9 seconds. The manufacturer claimed that 0-300 km/h could be dispatched in 15 seconds, while top speed was an astonishing 350 km/h. Even more startling, however, was the car’s pace around the Fiorano test track, where it was said to lap more than five seconds quicker than the Enzo. Such pace was in no small part down to the brilliance of the hybrid set-up. With HY-KERS taking care of low-down torque, the engine could be tuned for maximum power at high revs without the car becoming a temperamental prima donna. As a result, Ferrari engineers were able to produce an engine that was more potent than the Scuderia’s last V-12 single-seater, in a car able to cope with city traffic.

To ensure the thundering performance was accessible, electronic traction control was integrated with the hybrid system, and there was a third-generation electronic differential. The double-wishbone front- and multilink rear suspension was equipped with active damping, while the Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes measured a huge 398 mm at the front and 380 mm at the rear. The Pirelli P-Zero front tyres were an equally vast 265/30 R19, but were nonetheless dwarfed by the 345/30 R20 rears.

Drawing from the Grand Prix team’s expertise in computational fluid dynamics, the composite body continued the high-tech theme. Produced in-house alongside the Scuderia’s F1 racers, it was as aerodynamically efficient as it was beautiful. The vast scallops on each flank served to extract air from around the front wheels, increasing the downforce created by the active front diffuser, as well as channelling air to the rear-mounted radiators. A guide vane in the underbody automatically reduced flow to the front radiator to reduce drag, while dynamic air intakes on the haunches boosted ram effect for an additional 5 horsepower at speed. At the rear, a computer-controlled spoiler optimised drag and downforce, while dynamic diffuser flaps helped “suck” the car onto the road. This electronic gadgetry added up to 360 kilograms of downforce when cornering at 200 km/h, reducing it to 90 kilograms in a straight line at the same speed.