Luxury Cars: To be hailed as the “ultimate, most advanced road car Ferrari has ever made” sounds ambitious but wait until you learn what the car, initially codenamed F70, has up its sleeve.

This flagship car is bound to beat its rivals including the Lamborghini Reventon and Bugatti Veyron. These illustrations show how the model is expected to look. Compared to the Enzo, the F70 is faster, more focused, smaller, lighter, and more fuel-efficient. There’s speculation that powering the vehicle is a twin-turbo V8. Since the F70 is the first production Ferrari to use turbos since the 1987 F40, it can certainly be regarded as the spiritual successor to that hypercar.

The F70 will use information gained from the FXX scheme, which had customers purchasing a pumped-up and stripped-out version of the Enzo for £1.5 million. However, they were only allowed to drive their purchases on approved track days. They were tasked to then inform Ferrari of possible improvements.

The Millechilli concept inspired the creation of this new downsized and lightweight hypercar. The concept is actually just a little more than a fiberglass model but it demonstrated Ferrari’s target to raise the performance of future models by reducing weight, not by hiking power. Millechilli is Italian for 1,000kg, which is a target that’s not quite easy to achieve for the F70’s kerbweight as it is a full 365kg less than the Enzo.

Nonetheless, Ferrari says that it is prepared to apply every weight-saving measure possible. When it come to lightweight construction, McLaren is the undisputed leader but Ferrari seeks to get some recognition too in this area with an F1-style carbonfiber tub forming the basis of its MP4-12C supercar. To keep weight to a minimum, Ferrari plans to use an overhauled and shrunken tub, carbonfiber body panels – plus carbon-ceramic brakes and a no-frills cabin. Meanwhile, Ferrari has been leading efforts to reduce CO2.

In 2009, it has already cut output by 20%. By 2012, the company promises further cuts from its current 387g/km average. To attain this, Ferrari would have to reduce body mass as well as come up with an advanced design for its engine. The Enzo’s V12 will make way for a new direct-injection twin-turbo V8, which has the same layout as in the renowned F40. It’s anticipated that output would be comparable with the Enzo’s 660bhp, but due to its lower weight, performance is estimated to be on another level. With these specifications, the vehicle is expected to be able to accelerate from zero to 60mph in 3 seconds and to get to a top speed in excess of 230mph.

Andrew Christian
4wheelsnews
JustLuxe Contributor