Simply Abu Dhabi XI

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo Chairman Ferrari I n the world of the supercar, there’s one name that sets pulses racing across the board. From the teenage boy with the poster of his dream car tacked to a bedroom wall, to the most experienced road and track driver calling to mind his best-ever drive. That name is Ferrari. It’s a name long associated with the most beautiful, most powerful, most desirable and most advanced motorcars to ever turn a wheel. Now, with the advent of LaFerrari, a hybrid, high-performance supercar, the legend takes another huge leap forward. Of course being a hybrid doesn’t make Laferrari unique, you can read about McLaren’s P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder, for example, elsewhere in this edition of Simply Cars. What makes it so special is the way this particular car carries it off. For starters, lets forget any nonsense about zero emissions and the like, because the electric motor in LaFerrari is designed purely to increase its performance. The 120kW motor adds 161bhp and 199lb ft, which equates to combined peaks of 950bhp and 664lb ft. This electric system actually has two motors, one driving the ancillaries, while the more powerful unit drives the wheels. The battery pack (weighing just 60kg) is attached to the floor of the carbon chassis and, cleverly, the batteries are charged under braking, on the overrun, or even during cornering to use every ounce of that fabulous V12’s excess torque. 2 4 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I