How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths is – hands down – one of the greatest songs ever recorded, partly due to Morrissey's delivery and Marr's guitar work. A similar question applies to the successor of the LaFerrari, which – according to Piero Ferrari – is on the horizon.
Top Gear had a chat with the vice chairman of the Cavallino Rampante and son of Enzo Ferrari during the inauguration of the e-building, as in a state-of-the-art facility capable of churning out battery-electric vehicles. The brand's first zero-emission vehicle is due in the latter half of 2025 for the 2026 model year, and for the time being, not much else is known about it.
“Every ten years, we have one," said Piero, referring to flagship supercars. "Something will come. I know what it is," concluded the 79-year-old businessman, which doesn't say much in regard to the capabilities of the F250 at Ferrari's Fiorano test circuit.
Better described as being a hypercar, the halo model is a blend of past, present, and future. Remember the 288 GTO and F40? Those icons both feature twin-turbo V8 mills. From the F50 through the LaFerrari, the Prancing Horse used free-breathing V12 engines. The yet-to-be-named F250, meanwhile, has been spied many times already making twin-turbo V6 noises.
Both early mules and more recent prototypes feature high-voltage stickers, therefore implying a level of electrical assistance for the 296-sourced engine. Said 120-degree V6 was also used – to great success – by the 499P at Le Mans. The hybrid racecar won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice (2023 and 2024).
Photo: SH Proshots
Even though it does make a great noise, the sixer in question doesn't hold a candle to the sonorous V12 engine family started by the 6.0-liter unit in the Enzo. Lovingly dubbed piccolo V12, which is Italian for little V12, because of its V12-esque sounds it produces, the F163 belts out 654 horsepower at 8,000 revolutions per minute rather than at low revs. Combined with the 296's axial flux motor, total output is 819 hp.
By comparison, Ferrari's most powerful series-production vehicle is the 1,016-horsepower SF90 XX. It packs a twin-turbo V8 with one additional liter of displacement over the sixer, and it further differentiates itself from the 296 by means of three electric motors instead of only one.
Considering that F250 isn't merely a development of the 296 or the SF90 series, it's safe to assume that F250 will be punchier still. It's also big on aerodynamics, which is a bit funny. Old man Enzo famously said that aerodynamics is for people who can't build engines, a quote that was proven badly wrong by a number of automakers during Enzo's lifetime. Lest we forget, Ferrari stopped all development of sports prototypes and GT racecars at the end of 1973 due to Matra and Porsche. In the world of F1, remember that Lotus ushered the ground effects era back in 1977.
Expected to premiere in early fall, the F250 is rumored to be limited to 599 berlinettas and 199 spiders. A track-only XX series may be in the offing as well, with production reportedly limited to 30 units. The road-going SF90 XX, meanwhile, is capped at 799 and 599 units, respectively.
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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