Ferrari's mid-engine PHEV supercar is named after the SF90 Formula One racing car that was launched in the circuit in 2019. This automobile is developed to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team.
The cars' design and the engine are inspired by the company's Formula One racing innovations. The Italian automaker tycoon claimed that the SF90 is the most powerful, advanced, and fastest-accelerating road car it has ever produced. Ferrari has encapsulated the technological innovation from the race circuit in this car. More importantly, this car is not built for the circuit; instead, it is a road car, which is why the automobile gets the name 'Stradale'.
Categorized as a supercar, there is no need to mention that SF90 is all about power and speed, but it has much more under the hood. The Ferrari SF90's powertrain is the most powerful than any other engine the company has ever installed in any of its road cars.
With the Sub-SF90, the automobile and racing giant has stepped into the genre of hybrid vehicles, which is what makes it a flagship automobile for the upcoming models. And here is what it packs under its hood.
The Innovative Exterior Design And Dynamics
With the Sub-SF90, Ferrari has attempted to incorporate forward-looking, innovative design in an extreme supercar that can go for series production. This motto of the company is reflected in every curve and crease of the car's design.
For this purpose, Ferrari engineers have revamped the front, middle and rear portion of the car completely, giving it a shape of a mid-rear-engined coupe. The cabin is placed ahead of the engine compartment in a well-balanced proportion to the car's other segments. Unlike the other Ferraris, the exhausts sit in a higher position due to the optimized exhaust line out. The tail is also significantly lower due to the alignment of the powertrain. Likewise, the rear screen is no longer attached to the cooling grille.
Special attention was given to enhance the car's aerodynamics while designing the vehicle for seamless acceleration. Apart from body enhancements for the purpose, the car's wheels are also given a new profile. The forged wheels incorporate radial elements on the outer channel that are equally spaced between the spokes. Looking like tiny wings, this profile acts as a rotor blade that evacuates air from the wheel arch and lines up the exiting air with longitudinal flow running along the sides.
The underside and front of the vehicle are entirely reworked to generate better downforce. Vortex generators are installed at the car's central section with a 15 mm raised front section to channel more air to the generators. Further, to enhance downforce, the front bumper is divided into two sections. In between, it is the massive indent to compress the flow together with two diffusers that contribute to the process.
To increase aerodynamics, the SF90 is fitted with a low engine cover that is divided into two sections. The outer section incorporates the brake light and is fixed, whereas the inner area is called the 'Shut-Off Gurney', which is an active system that regulates airflow over the upper body and reduces drag at high speed.
The Smart And Sleek Interior
Ferrari has gotten rid of the gauges, and the new car's central instrument cluster has a single 16-inch digital HD screen. This type of HUD screen will appear for the first time in any production car of Ferrari. The HUD screen features a circular rev counter, battery charge indicator, navigation screen, and audio control on normal mode.
Driven by the racing cars' 'hands on the wheel' philosophy, the right hand spoke of the steering wheels mounted with touch controls to navigate the central HUD screen; the left hand spoke has voice control and cruise control rotary switch. Further, an additional steering wheel-mounted selector named as eManettino allows the driver to choose from four different power unit management modes.
The Unmatched Hybrid Power
For the first time in Ferraris' history, the company has incorporated so much power in a series production car. The cumulative power output of this lightning beast is 1000 cv or 986 horsepower.
The 90 degrees V8 sitting on the rear middle end of the car can fire 780 cvs, which is itself a record-high in output in any 8-cylinder engine in Ferrari's history. Additionally, three electric motors generate a further 220 cv thrust. One motor known as the Motor Generator Unit Kinetic (MGUK) is installed at the rear and the other two at the front.
The powertrain is equipped with 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the driver can select from four power unit modes that manage the power flow between the engine, motors, and batteries.
Ferrari's SF90 is undoubtedly a marvel of conventional fossil fuel automobile engineering and futuristic hybrid technology. As a flagship PHEV of the company, this car is the prospectus of the company's future venture in the segment. Ferrari has intelligently used its racing track-proven technologies in this road car. With this automobile, customers can have a taste of the features that are usually reserved exclusively for professional race drivers.