New ferrari - 740HP

[M5V8 337]

http://www.ferrari.com/Pages/Gateway.aspx?...tle=New+Zealand

[Apex 693]

Very cool. Faster to 200kph then a Mclaren F1, that's no mean feat, especially considering this is their Sports GT.

Cant wait to see the new Enzo though, that's meant to have more power and weigh 1000kg, bye bye yucky Veyron.

Edited February 29, 2012 by apex

[Guest Ari Gold]

Very cool. Faster to 200kph then a Mclaren F1, that's no mean feat, especially considering this is their Sports GT.

No mean feat? I'm a bigger Mclaren fanboy than most but I'm a realist, why shouldn't it be quicker than a 19 year old car?

[M5V8 337]

No mean feat? I'm a bigger Mclaren fanboy than most but I'm a realist, why shouldn't it be quicker than a 19 year old car?

Majority of hypercars since the McLaren have become heavier and less slippery as they have to meet modern crash & environmental standards.

[Apex 693]

I see where you are coming from Ari Gold, should have been clearer.

Because this is not a Supercar, its a Sports GT and is compromised, the McLaren held such a high bench mark for years and is today still unbelievably fast, its amazing to me at least that through modern gearboxes and launch control systems GT's are going this fast.

In saying that, a good old manual gear boxed Corvette ZR1 that costs 100k US is near as fast also so maybe its not so amazing anymore.

[M5V8 337]

I'd say Corvette still has a ways to go....

ZR1

F12

[Apex 693]

Haha, the Corvette would have a roll cage, race seats etc if it were mine!

But yes, Fanga is nice, you can even order matching luggage for those long weekends away in the south of France /Huntly!

[Greg111 13]

Love these newish designs where you're pretty much sitting on the rear axle!

[Guest Ari Gold]

Majority of hypercars since the McLaren have become heavier and less slippery as they have to meet modern crash & environmental standards.

I see where you are coming from Ari Gold, should have been clearer.

Because this is not a Supercar, its a Sports GT and is compromised, the McLaren held such a high bench mark for years and is today still unbelievably fast, its amazing to me at least that through modern gearboxes and launch control systems GT's are going this fast.

Don't get me wrong, I still think the Mclaren will aways be the hyper car benchmark, it simply can't be topped with regards to the fanatical attention to detail and the sheer bloody mindedness to not so much move the goal posts as to change the game completely.

You only need to look at the engine bay to see just how "silly" they got - gold leaf to reflect the heat from the exhaust, the exhaust itself made from Inconnel because it was the lightest metal on the planet that was up to the task, the performance of the "overweight" (by 65kg) engine delivered by Paul Rosche and BMW Motorsport was only accepted because it made more power (627hp) than the design brief called for (550hp).

But this was a car that was first designed in 89 and delivered to the public in 93. Why shouldn't a "GT" supercar (that's what it is, calling a car like the new Ferrari a GT is a grave mistake I feel) be quicker than a car with fewer electronic aids and if we're blunt, power, be slower?

Mclaren deliberately eschewed driver aids entirely - there's no ABS or indeed a rear anti roll bar - one of their test drivers Mika Hakkinen (you've heard of him?) said it handled like a dog when he drove it with ARB's, so they got rid of them. All of this might add up to the last word in pure handling and driver inputted performance, but when thrown up against a car that's at the very least twenty years younger, with all the electronic developments that time has allowed us, let alone improvements in performance, it should (and rightly so) get snotted.

Ferrari have always prided themselves on performance derived from the lessons learned on the race track. You only need to look at the F50 to see how far ahead of the curve they can get, when it came out with an engine block straight out of an F1 car that was bolted directly to a carbon monocoque way back in 95, you can get an understanding for just how far they can push things. The F50 was pretty universally slammed when it came out as far too over-the-top with regards to its looks, and the NVH was almost universally condemned, but fast forward fifteen years, and it's the pick of the Ferrari supercar quartet (288GTO / F40 / F50 / Enzo) for both collectors and people who like to actually drive the things.

But, I digress... I guess what I'm trying to say is that the latest Ferrari should be the quickest thing in a straight line because it will have a Formula 1 derived 8 speed gearbox with no clutch pedal and twin computer controlled clutches, with the ability to change gears quicker than any human can, and computers that keep the revs at the optimal level for maximum thrust while it attempts to headbutt the horizon.

You want an example of Ferrari defying the laws of physics, simply look at the California; compare its weight, engine position, power and indeed, power to weight ratio, and tell me how it achieves the 0-100 times it does. I still can't fathom how they do it, it looks to be beyond the realms of our current physics knowledge. But they've made a car designed to cruise the hollywood boulevard that quick, to suggest they won't do exactly the same with the new "GT" is doing them a diservice.