SPY PICS: Ferrari “Enzo” spotted testing

Nine hundred horsepower and a target weight of 1150kg has Ferrari fans jumping at the prospect of the “New Enzo” reclaiming the Prancing Horse’s place at the top of the supercar tree.

Long since surpassed by everything from the Porsche Carrera GT to the Pagani Zonda and the 407km/h Bugatti Veyron, the “Enzo” is due to be back fighting for Maranello’s honor by the time next year’s Geneva Motor show rolls around in March.

While this test mule, caught in northern Europe last week, is clearly based around a 458 coupe, it has been stretched wider and longer to fit the trial versions of the all-new car’s powertrain.

Affectionately known as the “New Enzo,” the car is code named the F70 inside Ferrari and will carry a more powerful version of the V12 from the just-launched F12 Berlinetta.

Sources inside Ferrari insist this will deliver almost 600kW of power from the high-revving 6.2-liter motor, while Ferrari has brought its Formula One expertise to bear by giving it a KERS-style electric boosting system.

This system, which is said to deliver around 90kW of extra urge and huge levels of instant torque, is said to work around a new type of fast-charge, fast-release, ultra light-weight battery pack not dissimilar to the one Ferrari uses in its current F1 car. It gathers its electricity the same way, too, by using generators attached to the axles to both help with braking and to juice up the battery.

Together, the two powerplants combine for around 680kW, or more than 900 horsepower.

Given Ferrari’s 1150kg target weight for the F70, its engineers are confident the car will rocket to 62mph in just 2.5 seconds to match the sprinting figure from the far heavier, more powerful Veyron. There is talk of chasing the Veyron’s top-end speed, too, with some insiders insisting the on-paper specifications suggest something around 410km/h, though other highly placed sources insisted the car might be better balanced with a top speed of around 370-380km/h and more punch from 100km/h to 300km/h.

While aerodynamics are still under development, Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo is said to be against a rear wing – even an active one – and would prefer the car delivered its high-speed downforce via under-floor venturis. While the F40 and F50 sported ostentatious rear wings, the Enzo (which had the internal F60 code) had no wing whatsoever.

Some sources have suggested the F70 will follow current protocol and retain an aluminium space-frame chassis; Ferrari has been searching far and wide for people with expertise in carbon-fibre production. It has attempted to poach personnel involved in the development of the carbon-fibre tubs of both the Lamborghini Aventador and the McLaren MP4-12C and at one point in the F70’s development even approached its raw carbon supplier to develop the production chassis for it.

Ferrari’s technical personnel have already toured the new carbon-fibre manufacturing facilities of its neighbor and arch-rival Lamborghini, too, as well as the low-volume Pagani. All of which suggests the F70’s carbon-fibre components will be far more than the panels and support structures other publications have hinted at.

While its gasoline V12 will deliver its power only to the rear wheels, in keeping with the flagship F-car tradition, the KERS-style system will boost up the front wheels, too, making it a part-time all-wheel drive car.

Sources say it will combine torque vectoring with the lessons learnt making the 599 GTO to deliver outstanding corner-exit speed and stability.

While it’s difficult to suggest what the F70 will look like, it will be the second Ferrari (after the F12 Berlinetta) to be done from start to finish by the company’s in-house design team and senior managers expect it to be an exclamation point to start life without Pininfarina.

Image/photo: carscoop.blogspot.com - Edward Chew

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