Naza Italia has officially introduced the Ferrari SF90 Stradale in Malaysia. The automaker’s range-topping model arrives in the country priced from RM1.908 million (before duties, customisation options, taxes and insurance).
The company’s first series-production plug-in hybrid, which made its debut in May last year, derives its name from the 90th anniversary of the foundation of Scuderia Ferrari and the long-established link between the automaker’s track and road cars.
The powertrain combines a turbocharged V8 engine integrated with three electric motors, two of which are independent and located on the front axle, with the third – known as the MGUK (Motor Generator Unit, Kinetic) – placed at the rear, housed between the engine and the gearbox.
The petrol engine develops 780 PS (an increase of 60 PS from the F154 unit seen in the 488 Pista and F8 Tributo) and 800 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The three electric motors offer a total of 220 PS (or 162 kW).
The battery pack is a lithium-ion 7.9 kWh unit made by SK Innovations, housed behind the seats. This offers the SF90 a 25 km all-electric operating range using just the motors from the front axle, effectively making it the first front-wheel drive Ferrari when it’s in pure electric mode. All-electric operation is possible up to 135 km/h.
During the international launch of the car, Ferrari technical director Michael Leiters told us that it takes about three hours to get the SF90’s battery charged via the plug-in route. There is of course in-car charging, accomplished through the engine.
The gearbox is a completely-redesigned eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, which provides the basis for the unit seen on the Roma and just-introduced Portofino M. Compared to the company’s seven-speeder, the unit is 10 kg lighter, three kg of which is the result of the reverse gear being eliminated, with vehicle reversing handled through electric drive.
Technical highlights include a more compact clutch assembly, which is 20% smaller in exterior diameter than the seven-speed unit. It also sits 15 mm lower. The hybrid system adds around 270 kg in weight, but this has been offset by the use of multi-composite material for the chassis, keeping dry weight down to 1,570 kg.
The SF90 has four drive modes, selectable via the eManettino controller. The first is all-electric eDrive, and then there’s Hybrid, the default setting when the car is turned on. This autonomously decides whether to keep the internal combustion engine running or switched off.
The third mode is Performance, which keeps the engine running and prioritises charging the battery than on efficiency. The last mode is Qualify, which provides maximum power output by allowing the electric motors to work at their maximum 162kW, and prioritises performance over battery charging.
Performance figures include a 0-100km/h time of 2.5 seconds, a 0-200km/h time of 6.7 seconds and a 340 km/h top speed, which is not electronically-governed. In real-world terms, the car is faster than the LaFerrari, as a head-to-head on the automaker’s Fiorano circuit showed – the SF90 was 64 metres ahead of the older car over the course of a lap.
Among the many firsts for the brand on the car is 4WD, a step the automaker says is necessary in order to be able to put all that generated power fully on to the tarmac. It’s not right throughout the entire speed range though, because as Leiters revealed, the front motors provide performance assist up to speeds of approximately 210 km/h before they are removed from the drivetrain equation to protect them from damage.
Aside from the plethora of control systems (more than 25 in all, including an electronic Side Slip Control vehicle control system), there’s a new braking system, which features a front brake caliper designed in conjunction with Brembo, improved cooling performance as well as brake-by-wire control.
Design-wise, the exterior of the SF90 – which measures in at 4,710 mm long, 1,972 mm wide and 1,186 mm tall – features more compact overhangs and a frontward-shift of the cabin, which has also been lowered by 20 mm to create a distinct cab-forward-type architecture.
Front elements include new narrow aperture matrix LED headlights, which integrate with the brake air intakes to form a C-shape. At the back, you’ll find squarish tail lights as well as a suspended twin wing on the rear end section of the engine cover – one fixed and incorporating the third brake light, and one mobile with a wedge-shaped front area.
Dubbed a “shut-off Gurney” by the company, the system essentially provides active aero in the form of system that regulates the air flow over the upper body, reducing drag at high speeds with low lateral dynamic loads and increasing downforce in corners, under braking and during directional changes.
Inside, the SF90 Stradale gets a new 16-inch curved high-definition digital instrument cluster, which at the car’s point of introduction was touted as a world’s first in a series production vehicle. The display can be fully configured and controlled by the steering wheel control buttons.
There’s also a new steering wheel, which includes a touchpad with haptic controls as well as a new navigation system and a head-up display. Also new, an ignition key personalised with the model’s name and a metal Ferrari shield faceplate.
Other highlights include redesigned sports seats, which are each 4.5 kg lighter than the current sports seats and a grille-styled gear selector, which pays homage to the brand’s manual gear-shift gates of old.
The launch example seen here is a left-hand drive Assetto Fiorano version, which differs from the standard car in that it is equipped with upgraded components. These include special GT racing-derived Multimatic shock absorbers, carbon-fibre door panels/underbody and a high-downforce rear spoiler as well as titanium springs and exhaust, and specifically-designed, softer compound Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres.
It’ll be a while before Malaysian buyers get their SF90. The first European deliveries were supposed to have taken place in the first half of this year, but customers have yet to receive their cars as of August, with shipments having been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On the local front, we’re told that it could be a year and a half to two years before deliveries begin here.
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Hmm… the front… reminds me of ULTRAMAN
Is it only me, that see the front of the car resembles ultraman face?
remove that front white colour moustache and its a beautiful car
Class, even italian love Moustache
Not sure why someone would spec the car to look like it has a white moustache.
they are among the poorest performing team in F1 these days. i don’t think the Ferrari brand leaves anything to be desired these days, let alone prestige.