Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale and Spider PHEVs
It already had the power and performance expected from an elite-level Ferrari sports car, so why has the legendary Maranello-based manufacturer added XX-factor to its SF90 line-up?
The short answer is that customers asked for it. Buyers of top-end Ferraris always want more speed, noise and drama… and they’re prepared to pay for it.
The new SF90 XX Stradale coupe and Spider convertible cost roughly 80 percent more than the standard versions.
Though pricing for Australia hasn’t been announced, these new SF90s will likely sit in the $1.5 to $2.0 million bracket. The Stradale is expected to arrive here late in 2024, followed around six months later by the Spider.
Ferrari will produce 799 examples of the XX Stradale and 599 of the XX Spider. According to the company’s marketing chief, Enrico Galliera, every one of them already has a buyer.
“Basically a racing car, road legal,” is how Galliera sums up the XX models. Past Ferraris with XX in their name were always road car-based racers that could not be registered for use on the road.
Though the SF90 XX Stradale and Spider have been designed and engineered to satisfy roadworthiness rules worldwide, they also deliver quicker racetrack lap times.
Aerodynamics account for most of the speed gains. That large rear wing and reshaped nose double the high-speed downforce of the standard SF90s to more than 500kg at 250km/h.
But Ferrari has also improved its plug-in hybrid propulsion system, which combines a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 and eight-speed double-clutch transmission with three electric motors and an 8kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Maximum system output rises from 735kW to 757kW (or from 1000 to 1030 European horsepower), with both the V8 and electric motors contributing to this very modest gain.
“It is not just a matter of 30 horsepower more, because you feel a lot more when you drive the car,” promises Ferrari chief test driver Raffaele De Simone. Especially when driving out of a corner, he adds. The combined maximum power output of the electric motors is 171kW.
Ferrari claims the SF90 XX Stradale can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.3 seconds, while the heavier Spider takes only 0.2 seconds longer.
In Qualifying driving mode Ferrari has added a new Extra Boost function, which contributes to lowering lap times by reserving bursts of maximum electric assist for track situations where it will shave fractions of a second.
Despite the tight focus on performance, the XX Stradale and Spider retain the 25km electric driving range of the standard SF90 models.While Ferrari customers love speed and noise, they also appreciate the stealthy silence possible in a PHEV.
