The Ferrari F80 Doesn’t Sound Very Good, Here’s Why

European emissions standards are ruining the sound of all new cars, and it will only get worse as new Euro 6e-bis and Euro 6e-bis-FCM standards roll through with a new focus on plug-in hybrids. However, none have been more obvious than the new poster cars from brands like Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren.

Most recently, the flagship Ferrari F80 hypercar was revealed as a V6 twin-turbo plug-in hybrid hypercar with 1,200HP. However, it was not the headline figures getting the commentators worked up—it was the sound.

We spent time with the V6-powered Ferrari 296 and found the “piccolo V12” to be a highlight that positioned the supercar amongst the best-sounding cars on sale today. So what happened with the F80? Well, all fingers point towards the strict Euro 6e-bis emissions standards, which the Ferrari F80 adheres to.

RELATED: Ferrari 12Cilindri Price and Specs Revealed for Australia.

The new Euro 6e-bis emissions standards have become significantly more stringent, and it seems their main goal is to increase the focus on plug-in hybrid vehicles like the Ferrari F80 by filling several loopholes.

How they’re tested: CO₂ emission values are measured in two stages. First, when driving with a fully charged battery until depletion, and second, when driving with an empty battery. These are then weighted using a utility factor (UF), previously tested with a reference distance of 800km. That reference distance has increased to 2,200km for Euro 6e-bis, which the ICCT says will “more accurately reflect the average real-world usage of today’s privately owned PHEVs.”

It will then increase again to 4,260 km for Euro 6e-bis-FCM, which the ICCT says “reflects today’s fleet-average usage in Europe of both privately owned vehicles and company cars.”

How this has affected new cars: This has significantly affected the CO₂ emission value of vehicles, and to explain this, the ICCT has provided an example of how this new testing regime has affected the official CO₂ emission values. They looked at a BMW X1 xDrive25e PHEV under all three regimes. Here are the results:

• Euro 6e: CO₂ emission value of approximately 45 g/km
• Euro 6e-bis: CO₂ emission value of approximately 96 g/km
• Euro 6e-bis-FCM: CO₂ emission value of approximately 122 g/km

How brands tackle this: Ferrari and all other manufacturers who want to continue selling cars must adhere to these new Euro 6e-bis and Euro 6e-bis-FCM regulations moving forward, which means stuffing the exhaust system with more emissions control equipment (catalytic converters, particulate filters, and oxygen sensors), thus reducing the sound. Brands can no longer simply add a plug-in hybrid powertrain to reduce the vehicle’s overall emissions.

The case for the Ferrari F80: Ferrari mentions that the new F80 features a “three-brick (matrices) exhaust line that complies with current emissions standards (Euro 6E-bis) but already takes future evolutions in emissions regulations on a global level into account.” However, the car remains under homologation for the specific CO₂ emission value.

This call-out speaks volumes about how aggressive these Euro emissions standards are to manufacturers. Brands rarely provide special call-outs to their specific testing regimes, but we expect this to change as the regulations tighten. Still, it’s not like the car’s sound has affected sales and all 799 examples of the $3.2+ million hypercar sold out within hours of the launch.

For now, we eagerly await hearing more reports about how this car sounds from the inside. Ferrari has proven that while sound might be down on the outside, it can channel a lot of the engine noise inside the cabin. Cars like the Ferrari 12Cilindri have showcased their effectiveness and still provide that much-needed visceral experience.

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