2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale first test: Connection to 986 horsepower

The tides change in motor seas. In terms of production, Ferrari is a small fish. With just over 9,000 cars shipped in 2020, Ferrari’s volume is less than 1% of a mainstream player like Toyota. However, in terms of history and prestige, it is difficult to become much taller than the Prancing Horse, and although the brand has gone this far in doing its own thing, even the House of Enzo cannot ignore the new world of electrification. .

Of course, slapping an electric motor on a car isn’t enough for Fiorano’s top engineers. With the SF90 Stradale, Ferrari has created something special. It’s an engineering marvel that you think has a lot of parallels with another automotive prodigy: The Acura NSX. However, the Stradale is so drastically different in terms of feel and performance that I have to admit it’s actually a bit difficult to compare the two.

But I will do it anyway, if only for the sake of context. It is also for this reason that it is also important to examine the F8 Tribute, Ferrari’s current premium supercar with which the SF90 shares a chassis and a few other pieces. Likewise, having spent a day at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, much of this lap on the company’s private test track, I assure you that even these machines are less tied than you might think.

Let’s start with the facts and figures. The Ferrari SF90 is a 986 horsepower coupe, weighing just 3,700 pounds despite some of that power coming from three electric motors and an 8 kWh battery that sits low behind the seats. Most of the power comes from a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 within an inch of its lifespan and developing 769 hp.

That’s about 60 horsepower more than the 3.9-liter V8 powering the F8 Tributo, but there’s a lot more to it than a 0.1-liter bore job. The SF90’s block has been significantly modified, including replacing the fuel injectors in the middle position for better combustion and redesigning the block so everything is lower in the chassis. This revised engine, with its new turbos, not only produces more power, but weighs 55 pounds less than that of the Tributo.

Like a crepe-shaped parasite, the first of the SF90’s electric motors is sandwiched between what Ferrari calls the “heat engine” and the transmission, a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic that weighs 22 pounds lighter. than the seven gears. in the F8. This engine helps drive the rear wheels and brings an extra 201 hp to the party, plenty of torque and throttle response and all the nice perks of electrification.

Up front are the other pair of electric motors, 133 hp each for a net system horsepower of that astonishing 986 figure. That’s a lot of horsepower, almost 280 horsepower more than the Tributo, though that costs about 500 pounds more. Power, however, is far from the only advantage. The two motors up front add infinitely variable torque vectoring to pull the car through corners. When braking, they help recharge the battery. These engines help overcome any turbo lag, and that big engine in the rear even makes it easier to control traction.

How? ‘Or’ What? I was shown the telemetry of my laps in Fiorano. Whenever my right foot called for more power than the rear tires could deliver, instead of just cutting the engine spark or slowing down like traditional traction control, the SF90 increased the regeneration of the rear electric motor. This effectively reduced power to the rear wheels, using the unwanted torque to recharge the batteries. Beautiful.

While the SF90 shares the same wheelbase as the F8 Tributo, the car itself is almost 4 inches taller, largely to make room for the additional cooling demanded by batteries, inverters and motors. The stretched nose features a prominent wing, made even more pronounced by the contrasting colors featured on the Fiorano pack seen here. At the rear, there’s a hint of the slotted Lexan engine hood which is a highlight for me on the F8 Tributo, here dramatically cut and tucked away in a quick flying bridge form.

It’s a dramatic profile, but under the skin is a setup similar to that of the Acura NSX, which also uses a trio of electric motors, intimately tying one to a center-mounted turbocharged engine. As such, I couldn’t help but expect a similar feel to the one I’d grown to respect and even frankly love in the Japanese counterpart to the SF90. The first time I opened the SF90 on the track, however, I realized I couldn’t go more wrong.

Where the NSX is a majestic performer, delivering amazing speed with subtlety and smoothness, the SF90 is the fierce Ferrari you want. Put the transmission in Qualifying mode and the engine comes alive, screaming up to the 8,000 RPM red line. This eight-speed DCT’s gear changes are accompanied by a subtle kick on the climb and a rev-matching bark on the descent. It’s a dizzying experience not to Plaid the interpreter will never deliver. The steering of the SF90 is blazing fast, as is the F8 Tributo, diving all the way to the top or wherever you might point it.

It’s an engaging experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a handful. Of course, there’s enough power to get you into a lot of trouble, especially on the narrow Fiorano circuit where the walls never seem more than an arm’s length away. The car, however, is manoeuvrable at high speeds, responding delicately to your inputs. It was only after watching the telemetry feed after my last session that I see how much of this precise response is due to the harmonious interplay of the car’s different systems, filling in torque through corners and passing. by the virtual front axle so that everything runs smoothly. or I want.

Behind the wheel, everything seems fair, and that’s the best praise you can give to a complex system like this. The same goes for the feeling of braking. This is Ferrari’s first electric braking system, which means the car’s pedal is effectively disconnected from the hydraulic system that actually squeezes the carbon-ceramic calipers at all four corners. The pedal feel is entirely artificial and, as such, is perfectly strained lap after lap under the hot Italian sun.

In fact, there are a lot of firsts here. This is not Ferrari’s first hybrid, but it is the company’s first production hybrid – that is, a car in regular production, not a hyper-limited model like the LaFerrari. It’s the company’s first plug-in hybrid and, fun fact, the company’s first car. without a reverse gear.

How does it work, then? The electric motors in the front simply rotate backwards, pushing the SF90 silently and smoothly. You can also go like this, emissions-free up to 16 miles. In this mode, the car isn’t a rocket, of course, but it has plenty of power and range to put you out of earshot before you spin the V8.

Inside the cockpit, you’ll discover another first: the Ferrari head-up display. This HUD is simple, small, and displays the current speed by default, which, to be fair, is the most important thing for anyone hoping to preserve the integrity of their license while driving a car like this on public roads. . On the track, I like its simplicity, as many other sports car HUDs can be distracting.

The fully digital gauge cluster measures 16 inches side-to-side with a resolution of 2880 x 960 pixels on its gently curved surface. While some may mourn the loss of the traditional center analog tachometer, it’s hard to fault the presentation of the information here, including tire pressure and all manner of system temperatures. And, yes, there’s plenty of dedicated space for a high-resolution depiction of this iconic sweeping needle.

The rest of the interior is generally familiar to the F8 Tributo, but with a new set of seats that look delicious in their all-carbon construction, padded only where you need them. Unfortunately, the SF90 shares a capacitive touchscreen steering wheel similar to the one I generally didn’t like on the Ferrari Rome. This means that you have to press a surface that says “Engine Start / Stop” to start the V8. It will never be as dramatic as stabbing a big red button.

Really, that’s about my only flaw with the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. For such a leap forward in terms of technology over any previous Ferrari, it’s remarkable how cohesive it all comes together. Four distinct power sources act as one to create a singularly sublime driving experience.

Editor’s Note: Travel expenses related to this story were covered by the manufacturer, which is common in the auto industry. The judgments and opinions of Roadshow staff are our own and we do not accept paid editorial content.