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The most powerful road-going Ferrari ever built has been revealed, a race-track-ready version of the SF90 plug-in hybrid for 1398 well-heeled buyers.
The 2024 Ferrari SF90 XX – the race-track-focused version of Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid supercar – has been unveiled, with 799 coupes and 599 ‘Spider’ convertibles to be built, all sold out.
The SF90 XX is the latest in a line of flagship track-ready versions of production Ferrari supercars – and becomes its most powerful road-legal model ever, with 758kW from a twin-turbo hybrid V8.
Ferrari claims the SF90 flagship has been conceived as part of its ‘XX Program’ – which gives “a select group of expert client drivers” access to drive hardcore, track-only Ferrari supercars in private weekend race-track days run by the supercar maker – even though it is still road legal.
An undisclosed number of the cars planned to be built are bound for Australia. European deliveries are due to commence between April and June 2024 for the coupe, or October to December 2024 for the Spider; Drive expects Australian deliveries to begin about six months after each date.
Powering the SF90 XX is a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 developing 586kW and three electric motors (two up front, one mated to the gearbox) developing 171kW, connected to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
The combined power output is 758kW, up 22kW on the regular SF90. A zero to 100km/h acceleration time is not quoted.
Ferrari attributes the power increase to changes in the engine – new pistons and a higher compression ratio – plus tweaks to the engine and electric motor software.
There is a new exhaust system claimed to reposition key components close to the occupants to increase the noise and deliver a “fuller, richer sound” – while the deletion of the secondary air intake system shaves 3.5kg.
As with the standard SF90, the XX can travel up to 25 kilometres in electric-only mode at speeds up to 135km/h – when the electric motor is powering the front wheels only.
Drivers can turn the ‘eManettino’ dial on the steering wheel between four power management modes: eDrive (electric-only), Hybrid (regular driving with petrol and electric power), Performance (the engine stays on for “consistent performance”), and Qualifying (maximum-attack mode which depletes the battery).
The eight-speed transmission has been retuned using learning from the limited-run Ferrari Daytona SP3 hypercar for improved acceleration and a louder gear-shift sound.
The SF90 XX benefits from an overhauled aerodynamics package, including the first fixed rear spoiler on a road-legal Ferrari since the F50 hypercar of the 1990s, with adjustable elements.
Ferrari claims the new car “delivers the most efficient aerodynamic performance of any road-going car in Ferrari’s history … comparable only to that of the LaFerrari supercar,” and produces 530kg of downforce at 250km/h.
Other aerodynamic highlights include a reworked front bumper with larger intakes and brake cooling ducts, new underbody panels for improved air extraction, a larger front splitter, louvres in the wheel arches, and a redesigned rear end with a new full-width LED tail-light bar and a larger lower diffuser.
There are ‘S-ducts’ through the front ‘bonnet’ to channel air over the car – with coloured accents for the entry and exit points of the air – which alone are claimed to increase front-end downforce by 20 per cent compared to the regular SF90.
At top speed Ferrari claims the car produces 325kg of downforce at its front end. New star-shaped alloy wheels also feature.
Buyers will be offered coupe or ‘Spider’ body styles, the latter featuring a retractable hard-top aluminium roof that can deploy or retract in 14 seconds at up to 45km/h.
Under the skin, there is a new anti-lock braking controller from the 296 GTB hybrid, claimed to be more precise and consistent – particularly under braking in corners.
It gains an “extra boost” function only available in Qualifying mode, which is said to “produce an extra boost of power at the critical moment when the car is exiting a bend” – claimed to cut 0.25 seconds off the car’s lap time at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track.
Drivers can access 30 bursts per battery charge – the number remaining displayed on the right side of the instrument cluster – which “guarantees this feature is fully useable for at least one or more laps” of a race track.
Ferrari claims suspension changes deliver 10 per cent less body roll, and larger front and 390mm rear disc brakes with new-design pads improve performance under braking.
Inside, the Italian car maker says the door panels, tunnel and floor mats have been made “simpler” to save weight, while the centre console has been “pared back” with a repositioned gear selector.
There are new “racing” seats with a carbon-fibre structure, suede cushion upholstery, and the replacement of the backrest adjustment control with “elastic trim materials which hide the separation between the backrest and seat squab”, claimed to save 1.3kg compared to the single-piece seats in the regular SF90.
The dashboard is wrapped in Alcantara, while there are coloured highlights across the door panels and dashboard.
Just 799 coupe and 599 Spider examples of the 2024 Ferrari SF90 XX will be built.
Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
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