It is anticipated that the Ferrari F70 will be presented to its spellbound public at the next Detroit Motor Show in January 2013. Eagerly awaited, the car aspires to new heights of power.
The début of the most powerful road-going Ferrari yet is planned to feature on the annual motor show calendar at Detroit in January. Heating up the icy climes of the Northern United States in deep mid-winter, the car could be the show-stopping heart of the exhibition.
Red-hot, it is likely that the centre of the American motor trade, Michigan, will have never seen something like this before. It is just as tantalising to the rest of the world. Ferrari has been teasing the motoring media and public for months now with scant details of the motor and engineering of the car, leading up to an unveiling of the carbon-fibre backbone of the car at the Paris Motor Show last month. Select, and potential, customers are likely to get an exclusive viewing prior to the opening of the show.
They, and then the rest of the Ferrari fans, will get an eyeful of the limited-edition supercar which will break all ground for Ferrari’s production cars. Powered by an evolution of the thoroughbred 6.3-litre V12 engine, in tandem with a HY-KERS electric motor, this unique new Ferrari will be capable of an estimated output in excess of 900 horsepower.
There is no gain without pain, and the added power certainly comes at a price. The additional mass of the F1-derived KERS hybrid power unit meant that unless weight was shed from somewhere else, this would be a less-than-lithe Italian model. The showcase from Paris, the F1-bred moulded carbon-fibre architecture, achieved this objective given its weight-sensitive race heritage. In Grand Prix racing, the extreme need to optimise the power-to-weight ratio has resulted in a manufacturing method that results in much lighter cars than otherwise meant for the public roads. In fact, the chassis is expected to be 20 per cent lighter than the Enzo, 22 per cent stiffer, and 27 percent more rigid. With respect to diminishing numbers, the HY-KERS system achieves a 40 per cent drop in both C02 emissions and fuel consumption.
In order to achieve these astounding figures, including the addition of the extra 120 horsepower, the improved V12 engine contains multi-spark mixture ignition technology. This ingenious development was forged by their Italian sibling Fiat Powertrain Development. Together with continuously variable-length inlet tracts, this ensures power is maximised. Increased torque also features.
As successor to the Enzo, the car is currently carrying the colours known as the F70, to continue the legacy of high-powered limited-edition models. What is eventually badged as is however a matter for pure speculation. The F1 430 Spider is a good example of where all this inheritance joins together and carries a particular moniker, earned with respect. Available on self-drive hire, it combines styling cues which clearly demonstrate its lineage. At the front, echoes of the 1960s racing Ferraris, such as the 156 sharknose F1 car, as well as Phil Hill’s Le Mans 250 TR61, prevail. At the side, the car’s name is etched onto the Testarossa-style driver’s wing mirror, as was the case in the F40. The rear lights resonate with Enzo appeal. Your short-term hire will certainly be one of real Ferrari spirit.