From the GTO of 1984 to today’s F80, motorsport technology transfer defines Ferrari supercars. We trace the link from race to road.
The synergy between the Ferrari F80 and Le Mans-winning 499P is clear, particularly both cars’ advanced V6 hybrid powertrains. But while remarkable, the F80’s adoption of cutting-edge motorsport technology follows the same formula as the GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari before it. Read on to explore their stories below…
1984: 126 CK Formula 1 car inspires turbocharged GTO
The GTO was first in a line of rarefied supercars that continues with today’s F80. It was born to comply with new Group B racing regulations mandating a minimum of 200 road and race cars be produced, but Formula 1 technology informed its turbocharged V8 powertrain.
With 2.8 litres and twin turbocharging, the GTO – often informally referred to as the 288 GTO by its admirers – produced a fearsome 400 cv with 496 Nm torque.
It launched in 1984, the same year Michele Alboreto and René Arnoux raced the 660 cv Ferrari 126 C4 In Formula 1. But foundations for both the GTO and the 126 C4 were laid three years earlier with the Ferrari 126 CK. Featuring a 1.5-litre V6 engine, it was the first turbocharged Ferrari Formula 1 car in history.
GTO starts the bloodline with a 2.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8. It produces 400 cv and borrows from F1 machinery, including the 126 CK (the first turbo Ferrari F1 car) and the 126 C4 (shown side-on) raced in 1984
1987: From F1-87 on track to the 324km/h F40 road car
The F40 was not born to race, but it had a racer’s ethos with its uncompromising performance and pared-back interior. Following soon after the GTO, the dramatically aerodynamic bodywork marked a radical departure from its predecessor, while its engine built on the GTO’s foundations. The twin-turbocharged V8 grew to 2.9 litres, and power and torque jumped to 478 cv and 577 Nm torque – enough for a claimed 324km/h.
Its contemporary on the racetrack was the F1-87 raced by Michele Alboreto and Gerhard Berger. Like the previous six seasons’ Ferrari Formula 1 cars, a twin-turbocharged V6 lay at its heart, but this was a new engine with a 90° vee in place of the previous 120° layout, and a new cast-iron cylinder block to withstand outputs of up to 1000 cv in tests.
F40’s twin-turbocharged V8 grows to 2.9 litres with 478 cv, almost 20 per cent more than GTO; F1-87 is the F40’s contemporary in Formula 1
1995: The F50’s V12 provides the closest link to Formula 1 yet
When new 3.5-litre naturally aspirated Formula 1 regulations came into force for 1989, Ferrari returned to 12 cylinders with the F1-89, which included an innovative five-valves-per-cylinder design.
It was this engine that was found beneath the new F50’s composite bodywork. Increased to 4.7 litres and re-engineered with significant considerations for road use, it produced 520 cv with 471 Nm torque. It also proved the perfect complement to the 412 T2 raced by Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger when the F50 debuted for 1995 – the racer’s V12 producing 690 cv.
While the GTO and F40 clearly learnt from Formula 1 engine technology, the link between F50 and 412 T2 was stronger still. The F50’s pushrod suspension and carbonfibre monocoque further underlined the technology transfer.
F50 naturally aspirated V12 takes directly from Formula 1 and produces a staggering 520 cv; 412 T2 raced the year the F50 launched; F1-89 (shown here from above) was the first Ferrari in the new V12 era and features five valves per cylinder
2002: A dominant Schumacher era inspires the V12-powered Ferrari Enzo
The Enzo arrived mid-way through a golden era for Scuderia Ferrari under Michael Schumacher, who would win the third of five titles driving for Ferrari in the F2002 of 2002 – indeed the Enzo’s front bodywork was clearly inspired by the racer.
Parallels ran far deeper than that, however. Both cars used carbonfibre monocoque construction, paddleshift gearboxes and carbonfibre for their brake discs, while drivers could adjust key driving functions via buttons on the steering wheel.
Crucially, both used powerful naturally aspirated engines – a new 6.0-litre V12 producing 660 cv for the Enzo, a 3.0-litre V10 capable of 835 cv in the case of the F2002.
Schumacher had direct input into Enzo development and was dominant in F2002; Enzo naturally aspirated V12 produces thrilling 660 cv and is first in the line with an F1-style paddleshift transmission
2013: LaFerrari transfers F1 KERS hybrid technology to the road
Ferrari was among the first Formula 1 teams to harness the potential of the then-optional KERS hybrid system in 2009, which was used to increase power of the F60’s naturally aspirated V8 engine.
Unveiled four years later, LaFerrari was inspired directly by this technological breakthrough, with a naturally aspirated V12 engine boosted by the F1-derived HY-KERS system. The resulting 963 cv produced by this limited-edition road car made it the fastest, most powerful production Ferrari in history.
It was also the next best thing to the F138 raced by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in 2013– the last of the naturally aspirated V8 KERS single-seaters before a new ruleset came into force for 2014.
LaFerrari V12 produces 963 cv thanks to hybrid assistance; Ferrari is early to KERS technology with F60 in 2009; F138 (pictured side-on) signs off naturally aspirated KERS era in 2013
2025: Most powerful Ferrari channels Le Mans-winning and Formula 1 tech
With a total output of 1200 cv, the Ferrari F80 is the most potent Ferrari road car in history. But this incredible project could never have happened without technology-transfer from both Formula 1 and the two-time Le Mans-winning 499P.
It is the 499P that the F80 most closely resembles. Like the Le Mans racer, the F80 features a light and compact 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 driving the rear wheels and an electric motor on the front axle for all-wheel drive. An 800v battery pack, meanwhile, is derived directly from Formula 1 KERS experience.
F80 is the most powerful Ferrari ever, with an astonishing 1200 cv courtesy of 499P-derived V6 and e-AWD; 800v battery pack takes technology from Formula 1, including SF-24
Unlike previous supercars, the road car is actually more potent that the racecar that inspired it. Where the 499P is limited to 680 cv at the wheels by FIA regulations, the F80 combines 900 cv from the engine alone with a further 300 cv produced by the electric motor.
Added all together, the F80’s astounding 1200 cv is over 500 cv more powerful than the 499P that won Le Mans – and exactly three times the output of the GTO that began the line in 1984.
Report by Ben Barry for ferrari.com
