Meet the SRT Viper’s new supercar cousin – LaFerrari

This morning at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, fellow Fiat SpA subsidiary Ferrari introduced the most powerful supercar in the storied history of their brand and because this isn’t just a Ferrari, the company has opted to name it LaFerrari – The Ferrari.  Mind you, this car isn’t the Ferrari LaFerrari but rather, it is to be known simply as LaFerrari and while the name has drawn quick criticism, there is little to criticize about the car itself.

The LaFerrari enters the brand lineup as the newest Limited Edition Special Series of vehicles that also included the GTO, the F40, the F50 and the Enzo so it should come as no surprise that this car is both insanely powerful and incredible high tech.

The heart of this beast is a high revving 6.3L V12 that makes 789 horsepower at 9,000rpm and 516lb-ft of torque at 6,570rpm with a redline of a whopping 9,250rpm.  This engine alone makes LaFerrari one of the most powerful cars in the brand’s history but the engineers didn’t stop there – fitting the midship engine with a high performance hybrid kinetic energy recovery system (HY-KERS) that adds 161 horsepower for a total system output of 950 horsepower.  Better yet, while Ferrari hasn’t quoted the exact torque figure for LaFerrari when the HY-KERS assist kicks in but the company promises a total torque output of greater than 664lb-ft.

When combined with the high tech aerodynamic engineering applied to both the body and undercarriage of LaFerrari, this new halo supercar can go from a stop to 62 miles per hour in under 3 seconds and it will get to 125 in less than 7 seconds.  Also, LaFerrari will offer driver’s a top speed of 217 miles per hour but thanks to the HY-KERS hybrid assist setup, this is also one of the most efficient and non-polluting supercars in the company’s history.  On top of that, LaFerrari is more powerful, runs cleaner and is expected to offer better fuel economy figures.

What will be most interesting is whether or not the LaFerrari will be able to turn out better real world performance figures than the 2013 SRT Viper.  In August 2008, the 2009 Dodge Viper ACR and the Ferrari Enzo took to the Nürburgring, with the Viper coming out with a record that was over 3 seconds quicker than the times of the Enzo.  Ferrari has stated that LaFerrari is several seconds faster around the company’s Fiorano test track but it will need to be fast enough to shave some 13 seconds off of the best time of the Enzo to best the previous generation Dodge Viper.  While the 2013 SRT Viper hasn’t made its Nürburgring rounds just yet (at least none that have been announced), it is unclear whether the new Viper will be able to hit the previous generation Viper ACR numbers but if nothing else – Ferrari will surely aim to close the gap between the top of the line Chrysler supercar and the new range topping Ferrari.

Only 499 examples of LaFerrari will be built and according to Fiat and Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne, they are all already spoken for – even with a price that is expected to be somewhere in the range of $1.3 million US dollars.

Check out the video below from Ferrari showing their new halo car in action while also highlighting some of the finer points of LaFerrari.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

Facebook   Twitter