Ferrari’s next hypercar spied testing with hybrid power and big aero

The next chapter in Ferrari’s hypercar story is about to open, following on from LaFerrari, Enzo, F50 and F40…

Ferrari’s next generation hypercar has been spied testing on public roads, complete with an aggressive aero kit and makeshift body panels. It’s over ten years since the Ferrari LaFerrari’s debut and its successor could well be the most extreme road-going Ferrari model yet, taking inspiration taken from the Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P racer. 

While we know very few specifics about its technical make up at this stage, the prototype in our spy images does reveal some elements that Ferrari is thought to be developing. These start with a next generation hybridised powertrain that should yield a power output well into four-figures – a necessity for a modern hypercar considering that there are now thousand horsepower electric saloons bumbling around our towns and cities. 

• Best hypercars 2023

As Ferrari’s hypercars generally map the path forward with tech that will eventually applied in future series production models, we expect this prototype to feature more potent electric motors and batteries to go alongside the internal combustion engine. As with the new F1 engine regulations that will come into force in 2026, the hybrid elements are being shifted from ‘assisting’ the combustion powertrains to now being responsible for a larger proportion of its outright performance. 

At a Capital Markets Day presentation last year, Ferrari hinted that the newcomer would arrive with “technology transferred from Formula 1 and Le Mans Hypercar”, both of which use hybrid V6 powertrains. Speaking to Auto Express in 2019, Ferrari’s chief marketing officer Enrico Galliera made a case for more compact solutions like this: “To be honest, electrifying a V12 means creating a very, probably heavy and big car. So electrification ideally should be coupled with smaller engines.”

With this in mind, we expect the powertrain to feature a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, potentially based on the 3.0-litre unit found in the 296GTB and Le Mans-winning 499P racer. 

Whatever the case, we can see that the powertrain will require extensive air management, the prototype featuring two massive radiators at the front corners and four intakes on each side. 

As for the new hypercar’s design, the makeshift body only gives us an indication of proportions rather than detail, but we expect the production model’s design to reference the aforementioned 499P racer, and possibly include the use of the dramatic static aero devices seen here on the prototype. Despite this car’s tacked-on SF90 rear lights, we suspect a cleaner single light bar to be used as on the racer and the SF90 FXX, sat above a very tall rear diffuser. 

We’ll have to wait until next year to get a better idea of what Ferrari has in store, but as the next generation of the world’s most sought after series of hypercars it’s likely that every single unit will be spoken for months before its public release.

Now read about the best hypercars money can buy…

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