2008 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 2dr Cpe on 2040-cars

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LaFerrari XX coming early next year with F1 engine

With the embargo up on early reviews, the repetitively named Ferrari LaFerrari has become the supercar du jour. It has already been put through its paces by Top Gear and Evo. However, we know that Ferrari isn't done with development of its current halo model just yet. News continues to leak out about the even more hardcore LaFerrari XX track car.
Ferrari already confirmed directly to Autoblog that the XX is under development. There are even spy photos of it testing at the Nürburgring (pictured above). It reportedly clocked an astonishingly fast six-minute, 35-second lap at the historic track. The latest scuttlebutt about the track-focused supercar, according to Top Gear, is that it ditches standard car's hybrid 6.3-liter V12 engine with a combined output of 949 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque in favor of a Formula One-derived V6 turbo hybrid. That would be a huge change but would likely cut weight. The more insane LaFerrari could debut as soon as January or February of next year.
Ferrari says it's difficult to make the XX accelerate much quicker than a standard LaFerrari, but slick tires, revised suspension and aero changes should cut lap times. A version that doesn't have to worry about road car laws and just focuses on being fast could be truly mental.

Ferrari 488 Pista Prototype Drive | Pants-soiling straight-line performance

Independent studies confirm that Lotus Elise drivers are 221.6 times more likely to spontaneously dispose of light-colored undergarments after driving on curvy roads. That's because the weight distribution of a mid-engine car encourages novice drivers to inadvertently ask the rear wheels to pass the fronts in the middle of a corner. Adding insult to staining, the layout's resulting low polar moment of inertia ensures that this rotation happens more quickly than the average person's sphincter-startle clench reflex. The flip side is that even the most powerful mid-engine cars have enough weight over their rear wheels to make straight-line acceleration a worry-free affair. Well, they used to. Full-throttle acceleration in the Ferrari 488 Pista is genuinely terrifying. Wheelspin is a genuine threat at any road-legal speed — and when that happens, its rear end steps out with the same violence as the car accelerates. And that is saying something. The 488 Pista is diabolically quick. Like, hallelujah-hold-on-tight, praise-the-lord, scream-like-a-child and slap-yo-momma quick. Or, in slightly more objective terms, the Ferrari's claimed 7.6-second sprint from a standstill to 200 km/h (124 mph) is but 0.3 second behind that of the 1,000-hp Bugatti Veyron 16.4. When we say quick, we mean QUICK. Perhaps too quick for the road, so it's a good thing the car is literally named after the track. The Pista is the latest in the lineage of harder-core Ferraris that began with the 360 Challenge Stradale. The 360CS, like the F430 Scuderia ("Team") and 458 Speciale ("Special") that followed, was a little quicker than the regular car, a little more devoid of creature comforts and a lot louder. The same basic recipe applies to the 488, though in its transition from GTB to Pista (say "peas-ta"), its engine gets a bigger power boost than any of its predecessors. Boasting 720 metric horsepower, or 710 American ponies, the Pista makes 49 hp more than the already absurdly powerful 488 GTB. The expected weight-savings measures are also present, accounting for a claimed 198-pound reduction in total mass. Ten-percent-stiffer springs and recalibrated magnetorheological dampers offer tighter body control, and Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires conspire with those changes to generate massive cornering grip. But more on that later — the star of this prototype preview drive was the engine, Ferrari's award-winning 3.9-liter flat-plane-crankshaft V8.

Living up to its name | 2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast First Drive

What's in a name? In the case of the Ferrari 812 Superfast, a numerical reference to its 800-(metric) horsepower, 12-cylinder engine and a not-so-subtle hint at its capability for extreme rates of travel. Only Ferrari, notorious for joyously naming its flagship "LaFerrari," could get away with the moniker. But once you get past the super-obvious nomenclature, it becomes hard to argue with this on-the-nose model name. If you're lucky enough to have sampled the standard F12 and one of the 799 F12 TDFs offered to Ferrari's most loyal clients, you've got a pretty good idea of the 812 Superfast's personality, which involves a blend of the TDF's edginess and the F12's comfort and usability. Even within the rarified world of supercars, the 812's athleticism is impressive despite its veil of approachability. More power, to the tune of 789 horsepower (versus the TDF's 769) combined with weight loss of 132 pounds make it the highest-performance standard production model Ferrari in history. (For reference, the TDF trims an even more impressive 242 pounds, ditching niceties like sound insulation.) Along with mechanical and aerodynamic improvements, the elevated power-to-weight ratio enables it to hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 211 mph. The main attraction is, of course, the 6.5-liter V12, which boasts 75 percent new parts and undergoes a series of mods to raise its output while (thankfully) retaining its naturally aspirated soul. A stroked version of the F12's 6.3-liter mill, the V12 features new pistons, new con-rods, a reinforced crankcase, and a trick new direct-fuel-injection system that runs at a staggering 5,076 psi. The system is capable of changing the shape of fuel droplets as they're injected into the combustion chamber, adjusting for around-town drivability or balls-to-the-wall performance. A revised air intake system incorporates a new plenum and bigger air inlet with wider throttle valves for better breathing. Silver lining: CO2 emissions have been reduced thanks to the new injection system and reduced friction from new 5W50 engine oil. Each of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission's gears has been shortened, which has the virtual effect of producing an extra 50 horsepower – as if the mighty V12 was wanting for oomph. Upshifts can now happen 30 percent quicker, and the engine's ability to rev-match for downshifts occurs 40 percent faster.