Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Ferrari is one of those brands who understands their customers really well. Ferrari’s of the past were real “big-boy toys”: as they were not only harsh and impractical for everyday use but were also quite tricky to manage on the limits.

However, since the launch of Ferrari 360 Modena; Ferrari has been trying to make their cars more approachable, friendly, and fun to drive. This move was clearly made on the fact that not every person sitting behind the steering wheel is as capable as Michael Schumacher.

It was since the launch of Ferrari 458 Italia that Ferrari really made their cars very playful and delicate even at the very limits. It is this ability of Ferrari to make a 600hp supercar as playful as 200hp sports car made them a real hit amongst buyers and enthusiasts.

This ability made Ferrari owners explore the very limits of their car without having an expensive or even a fatal crash.

Ok, let us focus on the latest prancing horse in Ferrari’s stable-The Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

Powering the Ferrari SF90 Stradale is a twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8 engine producing 780ps and comes mated with an 8-speed transmission without a reverse gear. Ferrari claims that the SF90 doesn’t need a reverse gear as the reversing duties are now taken care by two of three electric motors mounted at each front wheel.

Powering this trio of electric motors is a 7.8kWh battery placed transversely behind the driver and the passenger. All three electric motors give a combined output of 220ps.

The two electric motors placed at each of the front wheels are also capable of toque vectoring. At this moment you may wonder why Ferrari needs torque vectoring capability if the purpose of the front motors is to reverse the car and what is the purpose of the third motor?

This is where the Ferrari SF90 transforms itself into Ferrari’s latest Halo Car by being Ferrari’s 1^st plug-in hybrid supercar. The hybrid powertrain can also enable the SF90 to cruise in electric power alone and can reach a maximum speed of 84mph in this mode.

The electric motors at the front wheels also give the Ferrari SF90 all-wheel drive capability just like the Porsche 918 Spyder, whereas the third electric motor placed between the transmission and engine provides maximum power once the front motors are disengaged post 130mph.

In maximum attack mode, the engine along with the electric motors can give a combined output of 1000ps and as a result the Ferrari SF90 can catapult itself from 0-60mph in just 2.5 seconds, 0-124mph in 6.7 seconds, and onto a top speed of 211+mph.

Ferrari claims that their standard SF90 can lap Fiorano test track 0.7 second faster than the LaFerrari. Yes, there is an even more bonkers version called the Ferrari SF90 Sans Assetto Fiorano; this variant is 30 kgs lighter than the standard SF90 and can lap the Fiorano track 1 whole second faster than the LaFerrari.

The reduction in both weight and lap time was made possible by adding lighter and louder inconel exhaust, lighter carbon fibre wheels, upgraded suspension, more aggressive carbon fibre rear spoiler and few more.

For those people who need more head room and do not care about numbers or geeky graphs; Ferrari has also developed a convertible version based on the standard SF90 called as the Ferrari SF90 Spider.

The Ferrari SF90 Spider has almost identical performance numbers as its coupe version according to Ferrari. With roof, the interior is also almost identical to the standard SF90, but once the roof is down; you are welcomed with billion miles of headroom and even clearer orchestra from the engine.

Let us address the elephant in the Stable. What will happen to LaFerrari as the new SF90 is not only faster but also costs significantly less?

The answer is remarkably easy once you open the doors of these two cars. In the Ferrari SF90, you can see the rails for sliding the seat, but in LaFerrari the seat is fixed; it is the pedals and the steering that moves towards you.

The LaFerrari is a car with zero compromise and is more extreme of the two and I am sure it has more of the ability to make you feel special every time you see it.

Athul Z

Content Creator, MyTyre.