Its hard to keep up with what’s new in Ferrari these days. A funky retro-modern front engine berlinetta arrived last year called the Roma, the 458 was replaced with the 488 and eventually the F8 Tributo. The F12 morphed into the 812 Superfast (very subtle naming). Then suddenly there was this peculiar SF90  Stradale which we feel is something that’s not received a whole lot of attention.
The subtle, sci-fi exterior does little to reveal what this car really is. It looks fairly dainty when lined up next to the far aggressive looking 812 and F8. Probably due to its narrow front headlamps and the sharp nose which gives it a more ‘friendly’ outlook. It’s a killer that breaks a whole lot of records within Ferrari and the noses of some big names in the supercar game. Ferrari now has a drop top version of it called SF90 Spider. Here’s 12 things you need to know about it! 

The most powerful Ferrari ever made

By quite a bit. It puts out 1000psand 900Nm of torque.  This power is generated by a 4.0 V8 that puts out 780hp and 800Nm of torque. Couple that with a pair of electric motors that produces 220ps on its own on the front axle and on the motor, you get that magical overall output. Yeap, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker would’ve felt like they were standing still if they raced against this Ferrari. 

Fastest accelerating Ferrari ever

Its 2.5 seconds to 100kph, which is 0.2 second faster than the Ferrari 812 Superfast. In fact it out-accelerates the LaFerrari to 100kph and matches it up to 200kph. As far as road cars go, you  would need something ultra exotic like the Koenigsegg or Bugatti to out-drag this Ferrari. Or fully electric cars like the Rimac. 

The first proper plug-in hybrid Ferrari

Yes the LaFerrari was also capable of doing pure EV driving, but that was an ultra exclusive limited run flagship. You needed to be qualified before you could even buy one. This however is a series production vehicle. It’s bizarre to see one rolling off silently when you know it has a 4 digit output figure.  

First 'front wheel drive' Ferrari

Since the electric motors drive the front wheels only, it is, technically the first front drive Ferrari too. Ferrari calls it the Corner Angle Regulartor, Electric or RAC-e. Thanks to the 7.9kWh battery pack, which is big for a car weighing around 1600kg with a folding hard top and a plug-in drivetrain. This gives the SF90 Spider a 25km pure EV driving range. Enough to sneak in and out of the neighbourhood without waking everyone up. 

First Ferrari with an 8 speed gearbox

Making best use of the abundant torque available, the SF90 Spider comes with an 8 speed twinclutch gearbox. Despite being able to handle 1200Nm of driving torque, it is smaller in all 3 dimensions compared to the outgoing 7 speed. And its 20kg lighter too.

with 4 Drive modes

.Along with the pure electric mode calle eDrive, the eManettino switch now gives 3 other modes which are, Hybrid, Performance and Qualify. As we saw earlier eDrive mode is pure EV. While the Hybrid mode switches between the combustion engine and the motors. In fact the Hybrid mode works in both RWD and 4WD modes on demand to optimize traction and efficiency. Then there’s the Performance mode which utilizes all 3 motors. The internal combustion engine is on always, while the priority shifts to performance.

There's a drive mode called 'Qualify'

Which is when the EV powertrain completely focuses on performance. You get to enjoy the full output of the electric motors, all 220ps of it in putting the most amount of forward thrust. 

You recover battery charge in 3 methods

Which is under braking from both axles, or when you’re rolling with the throttle off, and finally from the internal combustion engine using the MGUK. On a 200km road trip on our B roads like the ones you find here, you can easily gain about 5-6km of additional driving range on braking alone. Which is enough to run on full EV mode from the golf course entrance to the clubhouse valet and back. 

High tech driving aids

1000ps unchecked will be terrifying in a car weighing only 1670kg. Which is why you have a myrad of electronic drive-by-wire functions to aid you in reigning in this prancing horse. The traction control manages both the EV and ICE powertrains, there’s Torque vectoring on the front axle, and brake by wire with the electric motors assisting in braking performance. 

With almost 400kg of downforce

 
Which is handy in keeping those 255 section and 315 section tyres in the front and rear planted. To be more precise, this car generates 390kg of downforce at 250kph. Which is more than the weight of a full grown cow. To put that into perspective, the 991 GT3 RS produces 350kg of downforce at 250kph. And that’s a car with a MASSIVE rear wing. 

Its got a retractable hardtop

Despite all that insanity going on underneath the car, you can enjoy the perfect panoramic view of your favorite drive road surrounding in the SF90 Spider. Because at the touch of a button, you can store the roof away in just 14 seconds. You can retract it while still on the move, and it is about 40kg lighter than a conventional retractable roof. Which means the fastest accelerating, most powerful series production Ferrari on sale today, can also be the most powerful hairdryer you own. 

7 year warranty by Naza Italia

And with free service maintenance thrown in too. Whatever said and done, a Ferrari is a precision instrument and needs nothing short of the best care possible. Which is why its quite special that Naza Italia has thrown in such an extensive care package with the car. For someone who buys this car maintaining it wont be a bother at all. But the value added service is something that will be really appreciated by the target audience.

The Ferrari SF90 may sound tame in its name, resonating with only the hardcore anoraks. It is, a relatively non-assuming Ferrari that hides the sheer monstrosity that’s waiting to be awakened. More so in the Spider variant, which casually retracts the roof, exposing you to the elements in a 1000ps mid-engined, twin-turboed Ferrari. All this insanity is yours for a cool RM2,088,000 before duties, options, taxes and insurance. Which places it above the McLaren 720S and the new 992 Turbo S. For the amount of tech thrown in, we feel, why not?