Power surge: Ferrari SF90 Stradale

GEARHEAD

Power surge

The FerrariSF90 Stradale is a petrol-electric hybrid and the most powerful eight-cylinder model with a Prancing Horse badge

August 2019

Numbers can be very intriguing, and not only when you can’t figure out why your bank balance suddenly contains so few of them.

Numbers are mostly for counting and measuring but they also embody many interesting attributes. For example, to a mathematician, a number can be real or complex. To a geomancer, it can be lucky or unlucky. And if you’re a car nut, they can be so exciting they blow your gasket.

Two such numbers that fall in the last category are 90 and 1,000 because of their association with the latest Ferrari, the SF90 Stradale Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.

Stradale is an Italian word that sounds exotic when pronounced by an Italian but merely means road.

But SF90 is much more significant because it refers to the 90th anniversary in November 2019 of Scuderia Ferrari, the Italian supercar manufacturer’s racing team.

Less obvious is the number 1,000.

While it represents the first four-digit numeral, and is often associated with stock market indices like the S&P, “1,000” takes on mythical status in the automotive arena when it is attached to “hp’’.

This is because few production models have come close to churning out 1,000 hp (most supercars top out at 700-plus hp). They belong to an exclusive club and one of their newest members is the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

Phenomenal powertrain

The SF90 Stradale is the epochal introduction of the Prancing Horse’s first series production PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). It delivers unprecedented performance for a production car.

The 4.0-litre turbocharged 90-degree V8 engine packs a stonking 780 hp – the highest power output of any Ferrari eight-cylinder unit ever, and all of that is blasted through a new eight-speed F1 dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels.

Meanwhile, two F1-derived electric motors on the front axle, and a third located between the engine and gearbox, produce another 220 hp, to collectively arrive at the magic total of 1,000 hp,

Sensational drive

With a total system output of 1,000 hp, a weight-to-power ratio of 1.57 kg/hp, and 390 kg of downforce at 250 kmh, it means that for the first time in Ferrari’s storied history, a V8 is the top-of-the-range model.

But if it sounds a bit too gnarly to handle, it’s not.

Far from being complicated, the driving experience is pretty straightforward – for a supercar at least.

Using the steering wheel-mounted eManettino selector, one of four power unit modes is chosen:

eDrive – in pure electric mode and front-wheel-driven, the SF90 has a range of 25 km;

Hybrid – the default setting when the car is turned on, with power flows managed to optimise overall efficiency;

Performance – keeps the engine running to charge the battery for instant power and maximise driving fun;

Qualify – the electric motors work at their maximum potential (162 kW) for maximum performance.

Once a driving mode is selected, the sophisticated control logic takes over to seamlessly manage the flow of power between the petrol engine, the electric motors and the batteries.

The 1,570 kg SF90 Stradale has a front/rear weight distribution of 45:55 and is the first Ferrari sports car – versus a grand tourer – to be equipped with 4WD.

Four-wheel-drive allows the prodigious power to be fully exploited, and it results in what can only be considered back-thumping acceleration: zero to 100 kmh in 2.5 seconds, and zero to 200 kmh in 6.7 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 340 kmh.

Cool cabin

The SF90’s futuristic cabin takes a leaf from aeronautics and uses all-digital technology with an updated Human Machine Interface for the central instrument cluster with a single 16-inch digital HD screen that curves towards the driver – a Ferrari first in a production car (for a minimalist touch, the onboard instruments go black when the engine and motors are switched off).

The SF90 will be launched in Singapore in September 2019. Deliveries start from the third quarter of 2020 with an estimated price of above S$1.285 million.

Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Engine – 3,990cc V8 turbocharged

Gearbox – 8-speed F1 dual-clutch transmission

Max power – 780 hp @ 7,500 rpm

Max torque – 800 Nm @ 6,000 rpm

Motors – 220 hp

Total system output – 1,000 hp

0-100 kmh – 2.5 secs

0-200 kmh – 6.7 secs

Top speed – 340 kmh

Distributor – Ital Auto, tel 6475-1118

Power surge: Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Power surge

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