The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2024 - Issue 36

bitecars allel trailing arms, twin-piston brakes with a centrally located fulcrum and leading and trailing floating shoes, and introduced the four-speed rear gearbox with a limited-slip differential he had designed. The 375 F1 racing car with its 4.5-litre engine complet- ed the Italian GP at Monza, the final race of the 1950 season. Its speed was close to the Alfas and placed second behind one after a vigorous battle of attrition and car-swap- ping. After several models equipped with the V12 engine, the new F80 supercar has the ultimate technology and performance. Its V6-hybrid powertrain engine produces a maximum power of 1200 hp, making it Ferrari's most powerful road car. It em- bodies the ultimate internal combustion engine vehicle engineering and employs the most advanced technological solutions. These innovations include the latest gen- eration hybrid technology for the power- train, which achieves unparalleled power and torque levels. What Drives This Power Model? In the 1980s, Ferrari GTO and F40 were powered by a turbo V8. Today, the marque's racing cars at Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) use tur- bo V6 ICE engines with an 800 V hybrid system. The architecture employed by the 499P, winner of two consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was transferred to the F80. The three-litre twin-turbo V6 is the ultimate expression of the Ferrari six-cylinder engine, producing 900 hp and accelerating 0-62 mph in 2.15 seconds with a 217 mph top speed. For the first time in a Ferrari, the e-tur- bo, with two electric motors installed on the front axle and one at the rear, enables extraordinary specific power output and instantaneous response from low down in the rev range. It maintains a high-voltage battery at 800 V, which generates direct current at 48 V to power the active suspen- sion and e-turbo systems. The 12 V direct current powers the vehicle’s electronic con- trol units and other electric ancillaries. The bidirectional inverter transforms di- rect current into alternating current to power the electric motor. It also transforms alternating current under regenerative braking into direct current to recharge the battery on the front axle, delivering 210 kW of power. The inverter for the rear elec- tric motor starts the internal combustion engine, recovers energy to recharge the high-voltage battery and supplements the engine torque in certain dynamic condi- tions. It can generate up to 70 kW in regeneration mode and assist the internal combustion engine with up to 60 kW of power. The Ferrari Power Pack (FPP) system within the inverters has the necessary elements for power conversion combined in the most compact unit. It comprises six silicon car- bide (SiC) modules, gate driver boards and a dedicated cooling system. Inside the Cabin The compact cabin proportions are in- spired by a single-seat racer of an enclosed Formula 1 car. While the driver is une- quivocally the protagonist, the car is trans- formed into a '1+'. The cockpit is centred around the driver, with its forms converg- ing towards the controls and instrument panel, including the ergonomically orient- ed control panel, which creates a cocoon effect. The passenger seat is cleverly inte- grated into the cabin's trim and can be set farther back than the driver seat. A new steering wheel explicitly developed for the F80 is slightly smaller than its pre- decessor, with flattened top and bottom rims. With a more diminutive boss, it im- proves visibility and accentuates the sense of sportiness when driving. The lateral zones of the rim are optimised to ensure a better grip with or without gloves. At the same time, the physical buttons on the right and left-hand spokes replace the full-digital layout used by Ferrari in recent years with easier-to-use buttons that can be instantly identified by touch. The powertrain offers three driving modes: Hybrid, Performance, and Qualify. Hy- brid is the default setting when the vehicle is switched on, enabling the functions to make it more efficient and useable in re- al-world conditions. It prioritises energy recovery and battery charge maintenance to prolong the MGU-K motor and boost it when needed. Performance delivers con- tinuous levels during extended stints on the track; optimising energy flows towards the battery to keep a state charge of around 70%. Qualify lets the driver unleash the super- car's power using electronic torque shap- ing during upshifts at the rev limiter, the torque curves of the electric motor and the ICE engine in the best combination for maximum performance. Boost Optimisa- Images courtesy of Ferrari