- The Ferrari F80 design team wanted a car with extreme proportions
- Original design called for a single-seat configuration
- V-6 was considered Ferrari’s best performing engine
Ferrari F80 hypercar unveiled in early October was originally conceived as a single-seater, Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni revealed.
In an interview with Superior equipment published on Wednesday, Manzoni said the design team’s goal was deliver a car with extreme proportionsand described an early design with a very narrow cabin, wide enough to seat just one person, combined with a body made as wide as possible to fit on the road.
“It was absolutely clear to me and my team that we wanted to do something absolutely futuristic and disruptive,” he said.
Eventually a solution was found where the passenger seat could be squeezed in but moved slightly behind the driver’s seat to keep the cabin as narrow as possible and still allow for two occupants. And to further emphasize the single-seater feel, the driver’s seat is separated from the rest of the cabin by a rising center console, a bit like the Chevrolet Corvette.
Flavio Manzoni
This aim to be disruptive also resulted in Ferrari opting for a V-6 engine instead of a traditional V-12 for its flagship model. In the same Top Gear interview, Ferrari marketing chief Enrico Galliera said the decision to choose the V-6 over the V-12 was “kind of easy.”
According to him, Ferrari wanted the best engine to unlock maximum performance, and that resulted in the V-6. The engine, a 3.0-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers derived from the Ferrari engine Le Mans-winning 499P LMHIt produces an impressive 888 hp on its own. That’s more power than Ferrari’s V-12, and the V-6 also offers packaging benefits due to its smaller size.
The central engine does not work alone in the F80. There are three traction motors: two on the front axle and one on the rear. The two front engines produce 140 hp each, while the rear engine produces 80 hp and also recovers energy when braking. The all-wheel drive setup is similar to what Ferrari used in the SF90 Stradale, and just like in that car, the rear engine helps deliver torque to the engine.
Ferrari plans to build 799 examples of the F80and deliveries are expected to begin in 2026. The “80” in the car’s name pays homage to Ferrari’s 80th anniversary, which will take place in 2027.