Ferrari SF90 Stradale 2019: a bridge between the F8 Tributo and LaFerrari

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Ferrari has taken the covers off its all-new SF90 Stradale, the most powerful and expensive model in its current range.

Hailed as a “milestone in Ferrari’s history” by CEO Louis Camilleri, the new supercar is the company’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), says Auto Express, and it’s only its second electrified production car to date.

The SF90 Stradale is equipped with Ferrari’s most powerful V8 engine yet, which is coupled to a trio of electric motors to deliver nearly 1,000bhp, the magazine says.

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Though it matches the now discontinued LaFerrari on power, the SF90 Stradale isn’t an outright replacement for the million-pound hypercar. Ferrari is still working on a successor to the LaFerrari, which is expected to come with a hybrid V12 powertrain.

Instead, the SF90 Stradale bridges the gap between the LaFerrari and the McLaren 720S-rivalling F8 Tributo supercar.

Here’s everything you need to know about the SF90 Stradale:

What does SF90 Stradale mean?

The “SF” stands for “Scuderia Ferrari”, which is the name of the company’s Formula 1 team. The “90” is a celebration of the company’s 90th anniversary this year, while “Stradale” is Italian for road.

Design

At a glance, the SF90 Stradale appears to be a cross between the LaFerrari hypercar and the new F8 Tributo, which replaced the 488 GTB earlier this year.

The side profile of the car looks almost identical to the F8 Tributo, with its large air vents placed on either side of the engine cover and its short bodywork overhang at the back of the car.

The carbon fibre roof, meanwhile, seems to have been plucked from the LaFerrari, as has the rear deck just below the bottom edge of the engine cover and its low nose.

Overall, the SF90 Stradale’s design highlights its position in Ferrari’s range. It’s more aggressive than the F8 Tributo, but it doesn’t quite have the radical styling of the limited-edition hypercars such as the LaFerrari and Enzo.

Engine and performance

The subject of much debate before yesterday evening’s unveiling was the new supercar’s engine.

It had been rumoured that the Stradale would be powered by a V6 hybrid engine, but it turns out those reports were inaccurate.

Ferrari confirmed that the new supercar has been fitted with a new flat-plane 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that’s paired to three electric motors, says Evo.

The combustion engine alone produces 769bhp and revs up to a redline of 8,000rpm, the motoring magazine says. The electric motors have a total output of 217bhp, bringing the SF90 Stradale’s combined power to 986bhp, and 590lb-ft of torque.

The hybrid powertrain is connected to a “newly developed” eight-speed automatic gearbox, with power being sent to all four wheels, says Autocar. It’s even capable of driving 16 miles on electric energy alone.

This all helps the SF90 Stradale sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.5 seconds, a record for a production Ferrari, and go on to a top speed of 212mph, the magazine says.

Price and release

Ferrari has yet to confirm the price tag, but CarBuyer expects a figure between £350,000 and £400,000.

Production isn’t limited and there are already 2,000 customers on the waiting list to buy the supercar, the reviews site says. However, it’s not yet known when deliveries are due to get under way.