What do the Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari 458 Speciale, and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series have in common? They all feature V8 muscle, and they all come with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires from the factory. Based on these spy photos, the Prancing Horse of Maranello will fit PSC2 rubber to the forthcoming F250 as well.
Pictured on the roads just outside Ferrari's Maranello factory, the F250 is – without a shadow of a doubt – the automaker's most anticipated model for 2024. Customers have already been invited to a preview event at the factory, with Ferrari rumored to produce only 599 berlinettas.
Similar to the LaFerrari Aperta, there's a spider in the works as well. The open-top variant is believed to number 199 units, and hearsay further suggests 30 track-only cars for the XX program. In other words, true XXs rather than the road-going SF90 XX Stradale and SF90 XX Spider.
The heavily camouflaged prototype looks flat, low, and – curiously enough – devoid of the large rear wing of earlier chassis mules. It also seems that Ferrari went for butterfly doors à la the LaFerrari and Enzo before it. Both predecessors use naturally aspirated V12 mills from the F140 engine family, which ranges from 6.0- to 6.5-liter units. The most powerful of the bunch delivers 840 cavalli vapore or 829 horsepower in the LaFerrari Aperta-based Ferrari Daytona SP3.
Unfortunately, the F250 won't be capable of matching the Daytona's 9,500-rpm redline due to a twin-turbo setup for a 120-degree V6. The 3.0-liter unit currently powers the 296 series and the 499P endurance racer, with the F163 engine developing 654 horsepower in the 296 GTB and 296 GTS.
Photo: Baldauf
That's a seriously impressive specific output, whereas the motorsport-spec F163 of the 499P is hampered by regulations. Including the rear-mounted electric motor, the plug-in hybrid 296 series can summon up to 819 horsepower. Equipped with an electrical cut-off switch and high-voltage stickers, the F250 is a hybrid as well, but it's not clear if Ferrari went for a plug-in hybrid or a self-charging hybrid powertrain.
Chances are PHEV with a small high-voltage battery to keep the weight low. The 296 and SF90 do not exceed 8.0 kilowatt hours, while AMG's plug-in hybrid ONE carries around an 8.4-kWh pack for an EV range of just around 18 kilometers or 11 miles. Due to the camouflage, we can't tell if the F250 features a LaFerrari-esque active rear wing for extra stability in high-speed corners.
Likely outputting more than 1,000 mechanical horses, the next halo in the lineage started by the 288 GTO has to prove itself at Fiorano. The fastest road-going Fezza to date at Ferrari's test circuit is the SF90 XX Stradale, which lapped Fiorano's 2.997 kilometers in 1 minute 17 seconds with Raffaele de Simone in the driver's seat.
The SF90 Stradale took 1 minute 19 seconds, followed by the LaFerrari in 1 minute and 19.7 seconds. The 296 GTB also deserves a mention, for it clocked an extremely impressive 1 minute 21 seconds.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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