The Prancing Horse is currently developing a replacement for the LaFerrari. Codenamed F250 as opposed to F150 for the V12-powered hypercar, the newcomer is a turbo V6 affair with trick aero and some kind of hybrid assistance for good measure.
Pictured in Maranello with and without emissions testing equipment, prototypes of the V6-powered hypercar are better described as test mules. The real thing looks completely different from these vehicles, although the greenhouse and extensive aero trickery will carry over to the series-production vehicle.
The ginormous rear wing indicates massive downforce, which is a bit pointless in regular driving scenarios. Do you really need hundreds of pounds of downforce pushing on the rear while pootling along in the urban jungle's hellish traffic? The answer is – obviously – no, but you do need as much downforce as possible on the track. Ferrari was previously spied testing the F250 at Fiorano, where the current lap record holder is the limited-edition SF90 XX.
799 examples of the Stradale and 599 examples of the Spider will be produced in total, with the SF90 XX Stradale lapping the Fiorano test track in 1:17.309 as opposed to 1.19.00 for the coupe-bodied SF90 Spider. The LaFerrari managed 1:19.70 in the hands of development engineer Raffaele De Simone.
While on the subject of lap times and in-your-face aero, the F250 incorporates the largest S-Duct system we've seen thus far. S-Duct is Ferrari vernacular for an increase in downforce with a minimal drag penalty. Derived from the aerodynamic solution introduced by Formula 1 team Sauber in 2012 to overcome the step nose's aerodynamic inefficiencies, the S-Duct system was introduced to series-production models by the 488 Pista. Back then, Ferrari promised 18 percent more overall downforce and 2 percent more drag versus the 488 GTB.
Photo: Acriore on YouTube
Pictured with high-voltage stickers at every corner, an adaptive cruise control sensor bang in the middle of the center grille, carbon-ceramic brakes, five-lug wheels instead of centerlocks, and fake dual exhaust outlets, the F250 actually breathes out through an oval-shaped finisher that wouldn't look out of place on the 296. Coincidentally, the 296 features the very same twin-turbocharged V6 engine as the F250.
It's not your usual sixer, though. Not only does it feature a V angle of 120 degrees because of reasons pertaining to packaging (the IHI mono-scroll turbochargers are nestled inside the V created by the cylinder banks) and handling (lower center of gravity), but it sounds like a miniature V12 at wide-open throttle. That's why the 3.0-liter V6 earned the nickname piccolo V12, as in small V12 in Italian.
Rated at 654 horsepower on its own, the sixer in question develops 819 horsepower in combination with the 296's rear-mounted electric motor. In other words, the 3.0-liter V6 is three horses punchier than the 6.0-liter V12 of the LaFerrari's predecessor.
No wonder Ferrari decided on the 296's engine for its top-class endurance race car, namely the 499P. Earlier this year, it won the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans on its first outing. Regarding the long-anticipated F250's debut, chances are the camouflage will come off sometime in the second half of 2024 for MY25.
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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