Riding a supercar on the Fiorano circuit, admiring the Ferrari chassis and V12s getting married at the factory, discovering the toys of a handful of billionaires, all in one single day? Another dream, no doubt. Unless…
In my room, this summer night, the atmosphere is peaceful and so is my mind. Sleep takes me in a few seconds and I wake up 1,000 km from here, in front of a large white building with red shutters where a certain Enzo is said to have lived. A Ferrari enters the courtyard without a sound. Dreams often disturb the senses … Unless it is the last SF90, a Ferrari of 1000 hp of which a quarter of the power (220 hp precisely) comes from three electric motors. The front two tow this supercar for 25 km without any CO emissions2 thanks to an 8 kWh rechargeable battery on the mains. Funny period.
Near its sublime bodywork, a troop of snowmen all dressed in red. Homemade pilot-instructors, it seems. Their invitation is not refused: four laps of the Fiorano circuit, the in-house development track that every Ferrari has trodden, F1 included, in the hands of the official drivers. Without thinking too much so as not to break the spell, I do so and start behind the wheel of a Ferrari F8 Tributo, just to understand the layout. One of the red elves is my passenger. ” Accelerated ; brakes; turned. »Three orders sufficient to give rhythm to my movements… and to confuse my senses again. Already strong at 720 hp and 770 Nm of torque, the F8 Tributo compresses me at the bottom of the bucket at the end of a hairpin, loving me towards the doors in bends and sends my helmet into the steering wheel with each hard braking. What about in my room? I might wake up like a sleepwalker at the other end of my apartment.
If all of this were real, I would definitely skip my turn for the next session behind the wheel of the big sister. Compared to the F8 Tributo “washing machine”, the SF90 develops 280 hp more and comes here in Assetto Fiorano version. A kit at 50,000 € (or € 493,500 in total but, no problem, the checks are also virtual) which reinforces the aerodynamic downforce, replaces the suspension controlled by a passive system with aluminum shock absorbers and titanium springs, and reduces the weight by 21 kg maximum. This time, I am even alone in the car and have to follow a pilot fish: a certain Marc Gené, test driver for the Scuderia Ferrari between 2004 and 2014 (and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2009 on Peugeot 908!). My unconscious is doing too much. This dream is no longer credible.
Marc adds a layer to the radio: “ You had a great session earlier. After two laps, you will be able to switch from Race mode to TC Off mode. But beware, there will be no more traction control and almost no more ESP. »Not sure to obey him: the SF90 does not accelerate, it teleports. Its push, instantaneous, rifle, unmatched, reminds me of no earthly experience and, if I hadn’t been in a dream sheltered from any risk of accident, I would have already released the right pedal. Three seconds of full charge and the tachometer is already showing 240 km / h. Astonishing.
Strong braking, entering the hairpin slightly understeer, Marc already advises to re-accelerate fully. A front electric motor then drives the inner wheel, and the car rejoins the rope when it should have widened its trajectory. The laws of physics are definitely foreign to dreams … Teleportation starts again and the next turn already jumps to the muzzle. Compared to the F8, the higher weight of 240 kg feels slightly at the braking attack. Not the transition between regenerative and hydraulic braking. However, energy recovery fluctuates constantly: it passes from the rear electric motor (the only one to operate above 190 km / h) to the front electromotors (whose position allows more braking power, therefore regeneration) and remains assisted by the carbon-ceramic discs and pads without the slightest parasitic reaction to the pedal.
Beyond feeling like Charles Leclerc with his track engineer after a qualifying session, the analysis of my computer session will reveal to me in detail these sophisticated transitions (brake and accelerator pressures, steering angles, recoveries energy, change in charge level, etc.). The various curves on the screen also show that in the event of slippage, the torque of the heat engine is not truncated by the ESP but by the rear electric motor, which sends this excess energy back to the battery. Clear ? The more you skate, the more you recharge. If it’s not positive ecology …
This imaginary parenthesis could have ended there. The journey continues, however, just behind the circuit, in the buildings housing the Ferrari manufacturing plants. First to the assembly of the engines, the real ones, with eight or twelve cylinders according to the animated model. Here, few machines and many craftsmen, who adjust these masterpieces with meticulousness in the middle of carriages filled with connecting rods, pistons, crankshafts and famous cylinder head covers painted in red like their coats and the walls.
The wonder culminates in the second building, where empty boxes enter and where rolling Ferraris come out. Between these two stages? A giant Lego game organized post by post, piece by piece, on a sliding track that advances a notch every 25 minutes. This village, where men and machines seem to live in harmony, has a hot spot, a moment not to be missed: that of the “marriage”, as the term goes, between the body and the powertrain. Spectacular, and different depending on whether it produces a Ferrari Roma (with front engine and rear gearbox) or an F8 Tributo (all at the rear, therefore more compact). The Portofino M is a little rarer on the chains, unlike the bodies painted in red, the main color. Astonishing, no?
Before visiting the nearby museum (to find in link a little lower), a final discovery awaits me in a building different from the rest, brand new. Here all the cars of the clients of the program wait Ferrari Corsica Clienti, from the first FXX of 2004 (an Enzo to V12 of 800 hp) to the latest FXX K Evo (a LaFerrari built on the same principle and peaking at 1,050 hp). Ultra-limited versions, not approved on the open road, and for which Ferrari manages the maintenance and delivery to the most beautiful circuits on the planet. Enough to offer their owners even greater driving sensations than those provided by production Ferraris and collect data to develop the brand’s future supercars. Is there a better occupation for the richest enthusiasts of the Prancing Horse? Yes, as the second floor shows me …
This second toy box lines up dozens of Formula 1, Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312 T (12 flat cylinders of 500 hp) in Fernando Alonso’s F2012 (penultimate season of atmospheric V8s). Except that it is not the house collection, but owner’s cars. Like their colleagues on the ground floor, they can move their cars during dedicated days on the circuit, always coached by my pilot fish at the start of the day, Marc Gené. For some lucky people, the dream does not end with the first alarm clock chimes. Can’t wait for the next sleep.
TO READ. Private tour of the Ferrari Museum in Maranello.
Ferrari SF90 tech. Sheet
Dimensions
Length: 4.71 m
Width: 1.97 m
Height: 1.19 m
Wheelbase: 2.65 m
Boot space: 74 l
Tank capacity: 68 l
Tires: 255/35 R20 front, 315/30 ZR20 rear
Empty weight: 1,549 kg mini
Technical
Thermal engine: V8 twin-turbo petrol, 3,990 cc3 Power: 780 hp at 7,500 rpm
Torque: 800 Nm at 6,000 rpm
Electric motors: three machines, 220 hp combined
Cumulative power and torque: 1,000 hp and 1,070 Nm
Battery capacity: 7.9 kWh
Electric range: 25 km
Transmission: non-permanent all-wheel drive
Gearbox: robotized with double clutch and 8 gears
Performances
0 to 100 km / h: 2.5 s
0 to 200 km / h: 6.7 s
Max speed: 340 km / h
