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The Ferrari F40 was the last car made under the watch of Enzo Ferrari and remains at the pointy end of the list whenever you’re talking about the greatest cars of all time. While it didn’t come bearing the sonorous notes of a V12 powerplant, its driving experience was defined by its turbocharged engine, and it relaid the groundwork for every Ferrari supercar since: F50, Enzo, La Ferrari. Today, another spiritual successor has arrived, rightfully called the F80, where Ferrari has thrown all its engineering prowess at making the most extreme hypercar ever made.
Built with a singular focus on speed and aerodynamics, with a powertrain taken from its 499P Le Mans-winning race car. Unlike the La Ferrari, the F80 swaps 12 cylinders for a 900hp V6 motor, including an F1-inspired electric turbocharger. It then adds in three electric motors for a total combined power output of 1,200HP, which makes it the most powerful Ferrari ever made.
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The two electric motors are at the front axle, while another is stuffed between the engine and the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. Performance claims are nothing short of extraordinary, and the F80 will complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in a scant 2.15 seconds before a top speed of 350 km/h.
Having driven the 296 GTS and 296 GTB, we’ve already given the brand’s V6 the title of the most characterful six-cylinder V-style engine that we’ve ever driven, and here, it revs to a superbike like 9,200rpm and is sure to have a crescendo like an F1 car at full chat since this engine configuration is also used in Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be company car. It’s also important to point out that the F80 is AWD, unlike the more lairy RWD-only McLaren W1, and even the aforementioned 296.
Reducing weight was a priority, and hence, the F80 has a carbon fibre chassis, and even the battery pack weighs less than one on the SF90 XX.
To keep the car exciting to drive, even with such obscene power levels, the latest iteration of the brand’s “Side Slip Control system” has been added here to enable gratuitous slides at will—provided you’re brave enough to slide a car worth AUD$4.7 Million.
The F80’s shape bows down to aerodynamics, but the design boffins at Ferrari have indeed carved out smooth design language while not being festooned with too many cuts or slashes. The car generates an unreal 1,000kg of downforce at 250 km/h with an active rear wing, diffuser, and flat underbody, plus an ‘S-Duct’ like that found on the new Ferrari 296 Challenge car. Yet, beneath the brutal veneer of functionality, the F80 has nods to illustrious predecessors, particularly the F40, again with its brutal-looking front end.
It deliberately looks like a UFO, while the Ferrari 12Cilindri-like black detailing at the front arguably works better here.
Other details include butterfly doors that are incorporated into part of the sill to enable a slightly graceful egress/ingress and carbon revolution wheels (made just outside of Melbourne, Victoria no less!). Do note the louvred engine compartment spine with six slots — one for each cylinder of the V6 internal combustion engine. From photos, we wouldn’t call the F80 classically beautiful, but it uses aerodynamics to create a stunning-looking car with immense visual drama.
Inside, the F80 features the most driver-focused Ferrari cabin yet, with little regard for creature comforts. The brand wanted to impart a ‘single seater’ feel with its narrow cabin, and interestingly, the driver sits slightly ahead of the passenger and has an adjustable seat while the passenger has a fixed one.
Elsewhere, it uses a new, smaller steering wheel that will likely be used in future Ferraris. There’s also no centre infotainment touchscreen, which was added to the 12Cilindri after a number of complaints from customers and media but is now removed again.
Priced from an incredible €3.2 million (approx. AUD$5.2 Million), Ferrari will only make 799 F80s. It’s unclear whether or not right-hand drive production is in the works for customers in countries like Australia, but we do know the plans suggest the F80 will only be available in LHD for now, before customer deliveries begin in 2026. More information about the car can be found at the Ferrari website, linked below.
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