The new 2024 Ferrari SF90 XX is among the marque’s most extreme road-going models to date, evolving the flagship supercar with a host of technologies honed on the series of track-day specials from which it takes its name.
Available in Stradale (coupé) and Spider forms, the SF90 XX is intended to “push the car on the edge” of its potential, according to development boss Gianmaria Fulgenzi.
The brief was to drastically enhance performance but also to “give the confidence to the driver to push the car at its limit”, said chief test driver Raffaele de Simone.
The car features the first fixed rear spoiler mounted to a road-going Ferrari since the F50 of 1995 and it has been added as part of an aggressive aerodynamic overhaul. This is capable of generating 315kg of downforce at 155mph, thanks in part to a trick Gurney flap system that lowers the rear deck to deflect air into the wing’s path.
To balance the aerodynamic load from front to rear and improve drivability, the SF90’s floor has been sealed off under the bonnet, into which new S-ducts have been integrated to channel hot air over the car. These vents alone contribute a 20% improvement to frontal downforce, which totals 325kg at the SF90 XX’s top speed of 199mph.
The changes make the SF90 XX the most aerodynamically efficient Ferrari road car yet. De Simone added that the car’s stability is further aided by a stiffer spring set-up – reducing the body roll rate by 10% – and lowered rear ride height.
In addition to boosting downforce, the aerodynamic overhaul also improves the flow of cold air into the redesigned radiators, whose improved cooling performance have allowed Ferrari to unlock an additional 30bhp compared with the regular SF90. This improvement is split between a 17bhp uplift from the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 and 13bhp on the electric motors, giving combined outputs of 1016bhp and 593lb ft.
The motors feature a new ‘extra boost’ system derived from Ferrari’s Formula 1 programme, providing their full output for short bursts of acceleration.
Activated in the car’s Qualifying mode, it provides additional power from the electric motors at corner exit.
