Meet the most powerful Ferrari – the SF90 Stradale

The SF90 Stradale is the first series production PHEV from the Maranello based outfit and it packs in 1000 prancing horses!

The most powerful Ferrari, now powered by a V8 hybrid powertrain

Ferrari has done it again and has enthusiasts across the globe in frenzy. After jaws were dropped at the Geneva Motor Show this year when Ferrari showcased its powerful V8 model then – yes, it’s the F8 Tributo (710bhp and 770Nm), the company had taken the wraps off its latest creation, the SF90 Stradale, a few days ago. 90 in the SF90 represents the 90^th anniversary of the foundation of Scuderia Ferrari. What better way to celebrate the occasion than by showcasing its range-topping model? Another interesting point to note is that the SF90 Stradale marks the first time that the V8 is a top-of-the-line model in the company’s line-up of cars. Dialing everything to 11 is the addition of ‘Qualify’ mode apart from the usual drive modes! Apparently, this allows the system to extract maximum power output of 217bhp from the electric motors, which gives the performance the upper hand over battery charging. Now that’s more Ferrari-like to make things crazy.

What better way to celebrate the occasion than by showcasing its range-topping model?

An engineering marvel

There is no doubt that the SF90 Stradale is pure supercar (or hypercar?) porn – you just cannot get enough of it. There are many firsts for this car and one of them is that customers can now choose between a ‘standard’ car and more sports oriented one. The latter includes significant upgrades like special GT racing-derived Multimatic shock absorbers, extensive use of carbon-fibre (door panels, underbody) and titanium (springs, entire exhaust line),  all of which help to shave off 30kg.

Now, for some mind-blowing stats. The SF90 Stradale is powered by a 4-litre 90° V8 twin-turbo, which develops 769bhp/ 800Nm while the three electric motors churn out an additional 217bhp. Ferrari used the 3902cc V8 twin-turbo engine (F154) and bored it to 3990cc. Many other tweaks were done to bump up the power and torque figures like redesigned intake and exhaust system, larger diameter intake valve, electronically controlled wastegates for the turbos to improve catalyser heating and improvement in fluid dynamics and so on. The 3.9-litre V8 engine also won the 2019 International Engine and Powertrain of the year award. This is the fourth time that this engine has won this award! This is a record in itself as no other has won the award four times! This engine powers a whole lot of Ferrari models including the 488 GTB and the 488 Pista. The combined power output of the V8 and the electric powertrain is a staggering 986bhp. All that power is transferred to the wheels via an F1 derived 8-speed dual clutch transmission. The SF90 Stradale cracks the ton in 2.5 seconds and hits 200kmph in 6.7 seconds with a top whack of 340kmph! Ferrari has also given the time it takes the SF90 Stradale to lap the 3km long Fiorano circuit – 1 minute 19 seconds!

The rear electric motor called MGUK, which stands for Motor Generator Unit, Kinetic is derived from Ferrari’s F1 activities. The rear motor is located between the engine and the new 8-speed twin-clutch transmission on the rear axle. The SF90 Stradale is also the first Ferrari to be equipped with a 4WD, which is essential to put all the power down to the road, according to the boffins at the company.

No reverse gear!

Making a debut in the car is the fully electric front axle, known as the RAC-e (electronic cornering set-up regulator). The advantage? Apart from providing electric propulsion, the two motors on the front axle control the torque sent to each wheel – this is torque vectoring for you and this makes driving easier when you push the car to its limit. The SF90 Stradale does not get a reverse gear – instead, the electric motors on the front axle are tasked with reversing duties. Things just get more and more interesting with this car, no? 

The chassis and the body shell is all new and Ferrari says it has used multiple materials to build this car, including carbon fibre to keep the weight and center of gravity low and increase the rigidity of the car.

More tech on the interiors

On the inside, Ferrari has adapted “eyes on the road, hands on the wheel”, a track derived philosophy to enhance human-machine interface by influencing the ergonomics and the styling of the interior.  Another talking point is the steering wheel – it now has a touchpad along with some buttons that allows the driver to control the car using his/her thumbs – pretty cool when you are driving at warp speeds.  Moving to the central instrument cluster, it is now digital and the SF90 Stradale has become the first car to make use of a 16-inch curved HD screen, which can be fully configured and controlled using the controls on the steering wheel.

A hyper-technological future

Prices for the SF90 Stradale are not out yet and even if you can afford one, chances that all the SF90 Stradales might be sold out. Sigh. Anyway, the company says that the SF90 Stradale slots in between the mid-rear-engined coupés, like the F8 Tributo, and supercars like the LaFerrari. Essentially, Ferrari says the SF90 Stradale is the flag-bearer of hyper-technological extreme cars that give a glimpse of what the future of hypercars might look like. McLaren and Lamborghini, are you listening?