LaFerrari | 360° Visualizer

Styling

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The LaFerrari perfectly melds cutting-edge formal and aesthetic research and aerodynamic functionality, a result achieved by the synergies - from the start of the model’s inception - between Ferrari’s Styling Centre, headed by design chief Flavio Manzoni, and the engineering and development departments.

The LaFerrari’s overall silhouette and proportions are the very natural product of its architecture and the layout of its hybrid running gear. The design is striking and innovative, yet its sleek profile remains true to Ferrari’s classic mid-rear longitudinal V12 sports car archetype: the cabin and engine compartment volumes are contained within the wheelbase to achieve the best possible balance of its masses. Impressively, the addition of the HY-KERS system has not resulted in an increase in dimensions, but a better balance between the car’s front and rear overhangs. Seen from the side the car has a sharp, downward-sloping nose and a very low bonnet which emphasises its muscular wheelarches.

The result is strongly reminiscent of the gloriously exuberant forms of late-1960s Ferrari sports prototypes, such as the 330 P4 and the 312P. The ratio of the front and wheelarch dimensions are also very much in line with Ferrari tradition. The LaFerrari’s body has been given a sculptural treatment heavily influenced by its aerodynamics. Its elegantly sculpted forms lend a sense of huge power and aggression to the wheelarches, with surfaces flowing fluidly rearwards over the cockpit and beautifully resolved forms that give shape to the volumes themselves. This fluid surface treatment provides both the exceptional drag and downforce characteristics required by the aerodynamicists, as well as very efficiently channelling air to the components requiring cooling. The car’s front section incorporates a lower front wing that appears suspended on a single central pylon beneath the nose, a clearly F1-inspired choice. Nowhere is the car’s extreme, sporty character more evident than in its tail section where its muscular power is uncompromisingly revealed. Here two deep grooves emerge from the interplay of surfaces over the imposing wheelarches. These efficiently channel hot air from the engine bay and in doing so contribute to boosting downforce at the rear of the car. The engine compartment ends in a full-width nolder beneath which is concealed an unprecedented active aerodynamic device. Sitting on a central pylon, which is stylistically reminiscent of the front one and which also serves to shield the HY-KERS system, is a large adjustable spoiler which deploys automatically and does not impinge upon the sleek design of the tail. The lower section of the tail features bare carbon-fibre and is dominated by deep apertures and a generous diffuser equipped with movable flaps that adjust when the motorised spoiler is deployed.

The LaFerrari’s driving position is an entirely new concept and draws heavily on F1. Both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were directly involved in its development, resulting in a functional cockpit that is track-inspired, delivering the perfect marriage of tradition and modernity. The ergonomics of the LaFerrari’s driving position actually turn conventional road car concepts on their heads and has a design normally seen only in racing cars: the seat is fixed but both the steering wheel and pedal box are highly adjustable to accommodate the driver’s preferred position.

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The door panels are a genuinely integrated part of the cabin design as their sculpted carbon-fibre shells sleekly and efficiently hug its forms to afford occupants the greatest possible freedom of movement.The LaFerrari’s steering wheel is another clear example of Ferrari’s on-going commitment to the kind of in-depth R&D embarked upon in the Enzo. The car’s various functions are integrated on the wheel Formula 1-style. The gear-shift paddles are now longer and more ergonomic. The signature bridge on which the other F1 gearbox functions are clustered has taken on a sleek, suspended wing-like shape on which the buttons are arranged for optimal efficiency. Lastly, the satellite pods from which the instrument panel functions and infotainment (audio, sat nav and telemetry) are controlled have been moved, respectively, to the door and an island at the centre of the dashboard with the latter also including a very compact climate control panel. For the first time on a Ferrari the dash features a reconfigurable digital instrument panel which gives the driver the choice of either a layout featuring the traditional central rev counter or a much more competition-style display designed for track use.