Extreme special series coupe and spider models have been revealed with a 1,015bhp plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain and extreme aerodynamics
For the first time in its history Ferrari has applied its experimental 'XX' tag to a road car, revealing the SF90 XX Stradale and SF90 XX Spider simultaneously at an event held at the Fiorano test track in the brand’s home town of Maranello – and Auto Express was there.
Both models, priced from £664,000, “embody perfectly the spirit of a racing car,” according to Ferrari's design director Flavio Manzoni, “as an intersection between performance, innovation and design.”
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Best hypercars 2023The Ferrari XX programme treatment has usually been reserved for track-only, hardcore, race-inspired models, but this XX pairing are road legal and defined by their fixed rear wings – a first for Ferrari since the F50 in the nineties. The extra downforce this creates is balanced by a larger diffuser at the front and an F1-inspired twin S-duct, which delivers 20 per cent more front downforce compared with the regular SF90.
There's also a fully closed underbody and an optimised floor thanks to repositioned mid-temperature radiators, plus other aerodynamic features such as wheel arch louvres at the front and rear to reduce pressure in the wheel wells. The result is that the SF90 XX Stradale develops 530kg of downforce at 155mph.
A new active aerodynamic device at the rear of the car, called a 'shut-off Gurney', can be deployed to reduce drag, allowing both the SF90 XX coupe and convertible to hit a top speed of 199mph.
The shut-off Gurney has two modes: Low Drag and High Downforce. In the former setting – controlled automatically by the car – the element is raised, fairing-in the section to smooth airflow. In the High Downforce mode, the infill panel is lowered, which contributes to a total of 315kg of downforce at the rear. The car's rear ride height has been lowered and its springs stiffened to cope with the extra loads.
Ferrari SF90 XX engine and performance
Both the XX Stradale and Spider use an optimised version of the SF90's plug-in hybrid powertrain, featuring a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and a 7.9kWh battery feeding three electric motors – one inside the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and two on the front axle. Zero-emissions range stands at 15.5 miles.
The combustion engine now develops 786bhp (17bhp more than the standard SF90) while the electric motors now produce 230bhp, an increase of 13bhp over its regular counterpart. This contributes to a total uplift in power of 30bhp versus the SF90 Stradale and Spider.
Its 1,015bhp total is available in the Qualifying driving mode, selectable via the eManettino steering wheel switch, which gives access to Ferrari's Extra Boost function. This gives the driver a total of 30 'tokens' which are activated on full throttle when the car senses little steering input.
Ferrari says the car uses seven 'tokens' lapping Fiorano, with the system helping shave a quarter of a second from the (as yet unpublished) lap time compared with the regular SF90. The battery can be topped up on the move using the engine, while under braking the motors will also add some regenerative effect and send energy to the battery.
This maximum power output results in a 2.3-second 0-62mph time for the SF90 XX Stradale. This car will sprint from 0-124mph in 6.5 seconds, while these times rise slightly to 2.3 seconds and 6.7 seconds respectively for the SF90 XX Spider.
That's because the open-top model – whose retractable carbon-fibre roof can be operated electronically in 14 seconds at up to 30mph – weighs 100kg more than the coupe, at 1,660kg. The 1,560kg XX Stradale is only 10kg lighter than the standard SF90 when specified with the lightweight options, which include new two-piece carbon-fibre seats. Ferrari says that the V8 is also 3.5kg lighter than in the standard car, while it has developed a new gearshift strategy for the transmission to boost the intensity and sound of the change.
There are new electronic driver aids, with refinements made to the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer system – called FDE 2.0 – which works on the ESC, traction control, e-diff, Side Slip Control and brakes to help balance the car on the limit and deliver more driving fun. A new ABS Evo system (carried over from the 296 GTB) that uses 6D sensors to gather more vehicle data helps improve braking performance; it acts on 398mm front discs and 390mm items at the rear.
Ferrari SF90 XX interior and prices
Ferrari has also created a racier cabin to match the more extreme engineering and exterior design, with more simple treatment of the door panels, central tunnel and mats. Many areas are trimmed in what the Italian brand calls “technical fabrics”, with carbon fibre used for functional areas of the interior. The upper dash is trimmed in racy Alcantara, while the concave door panels can be specified in a contrasting colour.
Infotainment is still taken care of by the same 16-inch curved HD display as in the standard SF90, controlled by Ferrari's touch-sensitive pads on the horizontal steering wheel spokes.
Ferrari will build just 799 examples of the SF90 XX Stradale and 599 units of the Spider, which are priced from €770,000 (£664k) and €850,000 (£733k) respectively. All are now sold, with deliveries of the coupe scheduled to begin in Europe in Q2 2024; the Spider will follow in Q4 of next year.
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