Codenamed F250, the long-awaited replacement for the LaFerrari is expected to launch in late 2024 for the 2025 model year. Spied testing just outside Ferrari's headquarters and production facility in Maranello, the newcomer doesn't sound as exotic as the LaFerrari.
According to hearsay – which carparazzo Varryx believes to hold water after seeing the car from only a few meters away – a hybridized V6 will have to suffice. A twin-turbocharged V6, that is, rather than a naturally-aspirated V12 as in the previous hypercar.
Critics will surely harrumph over the downsizing to a six-cylinder mill, but on the other hand, they might be served a piece of humble pie by the Prancing Horse. This prototype does appear to be powered by a V6, and if the F250 does get a V6 in series-production attire, it will make a few jaws drop in awe.
Why is that? For starters, the powerplant is – without a shadow of a doubt – related to the F163 in the 296 series. Positioned just above the V8-powered F8, the Dino's modern-day equivalent boasts the highest specific output of any series-production engine. 218 horsepower per liter, to be more precise, which is utterly ridiculous. Not even the 3.0-liter V6 in the plug-in hybrid McLaren Artura, a 120-degree lump with two trick turbochargers as well, can match that.
The F163 is also used in the 488 GT3-replacing 296 GT3 and the 488 Challenge-replacing 296 Challenge. Its most extreme application yet is the 499P sports prototype that competes in the World Endurance Championship's Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) category.
Speaking of which, the F250 does have a bit of 499P to it, as well as Enzo styling cues here and there. In prototype form, it looks more like a road-legal racecar than a rich guy's plaything. It's a totally different philosophy from the LaFerrari, more akin to the Enzo.
As you're well aware, Ferrari's limited-run Enzo never saw officially sanctioned racing action. The technically similar Maserati MC12 did, hence the MC12 acronym that stands for Maserati Corse 12 cylinders. The Scuderia isn’t going to win this year's World Endurance Championship, but come next year, the peeps at Toyota might find the 499P a bit too much for their GR010.
It should be mentioned that LMH regulations limit maximum power to 500 kW, as in 671 horsepower. The 296 is noticeably pokier, for it cranks out more than 800 ponies on full song. It also exceeds the manufacturer's claimed 330 kph (205 mph) rather easily, making it faster than the iconic Ferrari F40 from the late 1980s.
Le Mans Hypercars also rock all-wheel drive, made possible by a front-mounted electric motor. It remains to be seen if the F250 will come in the form of a self-charging hybrid or a plug-in hybrid like the 296 series.
Going V6 results in less weight than a V12, but on the other hand, the beefier hybrid systems of the 499P and 296 may have a negative effect on said weight savings. In any case, the F250 will be a beastly machine that will easily shame the LaFerrari on the Fiorano test track.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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