Is The Ferrari F80 Being Released?

Ferrari is not a name that's usually associated with modesty. This is an attitude that we love and is certainly one that can be applied to its latest supercar, the Ferrari F80. Leaning heavily on its F1 and World Endurance Car (WEC) heritage, the F80 is an absolute monster that stretches the concept of supercars to its very limit. However, before we all rush out and buy one, there are a few things worth bearing in mind. The first is the release date: While Ferrari hasn't officially said when the F80 will hit the streets, Reuters suggests that deliveries will commence in the final quarter of this year. Car and Driver, however states that the car won't reach American customers until early 2026. 

If you're still interested, then there are a couple of other factors to consider before placing your deposit. The first is that production of the car will be limited to 799, and each of these has already been allocated to a specific client. The second is the F80's price: If you're included among the 799 lucky individuals, you'll need a spare $3.1 million or so to secure your F80. Just what makes the Ferrari F80 so special that nearly 800 people would part with millions of dollars to buy one? Let's have a look at what we know about the latest offering from Maranello-based Ferrari and see if we can shed some light on the matter.

Ferrari made its F1 debut at the Monaco Grand Prix on 21 May 1950 and has competed in the series since then. So it's not surprising that the F80 leans heavily on this heritage, and this is apparent when we look at the powertrain, which uses a very similar type of engine to the ones used in F1 cars. The F80 powertrain produces a mind-boggling 1184 hp, but this doesn't come from the roaring V12 powerplant often associated with Ferraris. Rather, it comes from an "F1-esque" combination of a turbocharged V6 paired with hybrid technologies. The 120-degree twin-turbo V6 engine produces 888 hp, with the remaining coming from hybrid technologies including the MGH-U and MGH-K systems that are mandated parts of F1 powertrains. Electric motors on the front axle also add power and effectively make the F80 a four-wheel drive car. 

The use of MGU-K and MGU-H systems allows the F80 to recover energy typically lost during braking and heat exchange.  The result of all this electric wizardry is instant power delivery with the hybrid systems and electric motors filling in to compensate for turbo lag. Of course, all this horsepower is all very well and good, but put this much power in your average car, and the results would be interesting, exciting, and probably short-lived. However, as we discover next, the clever stuff doesn't stop with the engine; Ferrari has made sure the F80 is capable of taming all those horses. 

One of the defining factors of an F1 car's performance is downforce and — once again — Ferrari's heritage in the sport and its understanding of downforce mechanics are apparent in the F80. Downforce is an aerodynamic force that acts on the car to push it into the ground, which enables better handling and higher cornering speeds. It's something that the F80 has in bucketloads! The F80 produces 2,315 pounds of downforce at 155 mph, which is over a ton of downforce. Ferrari has borrowed F1 features like an advanced underfloor design to control airflow and a large rear diffuser to generate downforce. Another clever system is the front S-Duct, which channels air from under the car to flow over the windscreen, effectively turning the nose into a front wing. Finally, a movable rear wing responds to driver inputs to give more downforce or reduce drag as circumstances require. 

Finally, Ferrari has added a specially designed active suspension system to further improve handling. Based on the system already present on its half-million-dollar Purosangue SUV, the F80's suspension system features inboard shock absorbers and a completely independent powered suspension configured in a double wishbone layout. With a two-seat configuration where the driving seat is slightly forward of the passenger seat, the F80 is Ferrari's F1 know-how distilled into a street-legal package.