Ferrari SF90 Stradale on sale

The first hybrid hypercar you’ll legally be able to drive on Australian roads made its local debut this afternoon. And the boss of Ferrari in the Asia Pacific region says if you want one, you should put your hand up. Now… Even if you’ve never owned a Ferrari before!

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is now on sale Down Under from $846,888 – around half of what some pundits speculated.

And the plug-in hybrid, twin-turbo hypercar is what Ferrari terms a ‘series’ car – so although volumes will not be high, nor will they be limited to a set number.

Some of the numbers around the SF90 are nonetheless mega -- 1000hp (746kW); 0-100km/h in 2.5sec; 0-200km/h in 6.7sec; 25km of pure EV operation and better than racecar lap times. But the fact it will be built in right-hand drive and be fully homologated for Australian roads places it in even more rarified air.

No other hybrid hypercar has been offered in Australian compliant form before.

Only the limited edition, non-hybrid McLaren Senna comes close in terms of a vehicle of this performance being legally able to be driven on Aussie roads. Other hybrid hypercars like the Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 are limited to track or permit-only use Down Under.

Even the much vaunted and $3m-plus Mercedes-AMG Project One will not be built in right-hand drive.

“This is a ‘range’ car – we are still selling it,” regional boss and acting Ferrari Japan and Australasia Ferrari CEO, Dieter Knechtel (pictured) told carsales at today’s debut of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

“But it’s ‘Beyond Supercar’. It’s not a substitute for any model -- it’s an addition, completely new at the top of the range,” he enthused.

“For sure it is for pure Ferrarista, but it’s not only for our existing clients and performance freaks. We think it will bring people to Ferrari for the first time – buyers who want the extreme in design and the best in the segment, the best of everything,” Knechtel added.

Knechtel said unlike previous top of the range Ferraris, previous ownership is not a qualifier for the SF90 Stradale.

“But if you are interested to buy one, you should not wait. You should raise your hand now,” he stated.

A number of Australian SF90 Stradale customers were present at the world debut of the car in May (2020) and more will attend a function with the car as the star in Melbourne this evening.

Many have already specified the track focused package Ferrari is offering for the SF90 Stradale. Called Assetto Fiorano, after Ferrari’s own test track, the $111,306 track pack carves 30kg from the SF90 Stradale’s mass and adds a higher downforce rear wing, track optimized suspension (including titanium coil springs), Lexan window glass and a swag or carbon-fibre parts.

The SF90’s twin-turbo V8 is mated to Ferrari’s quickest ever road-going dual-clutch gearbox which promises a shift time of 200ms – a 35% improvement of its predecessor.

The hybrid powertrain features a fully electric front axle with twin motors and a third motor located between the engine and gearbox and ‘assisting’ the rear axle. An electric torque vectoring system dubbed RAC-E promises flattering on the limit performance on road and track for all levels of driver.

Inside, it uses Ferrari's latest human machine interface with up to 80 per cent of key functions operated via the steering wheel. The main instrument panel is a curved, configurable, 16.5-inch high-resolution screen.

The SF90 Stradale’s name celebrates 90 years of Scuderia Ferrari, the Prancing Horse’s storied F1 team. According to Ferrari there is genuine technology transfer between the racing and road organisations -- although we reckon that’s likely to be hyped perhaps more than just a little.

At the heart of the car is a combined aluminium and carbon-fibre space frame. The latter material is used as a structural bulkhead between the mid-mounted engine/gearbox and the passenger cell. It’s the first time a series production Ferrari has used such an arrangement.

Locally deliveries of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale are expected to begin late in the second half of 2020.

Also slated for Australian debuts in 2020 are the new Ferrari Roma two-seater front-engined GT and the mid-engined Ferrari F8 Spyder which will be Ferrari’s star at the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne in March.