Ferrari F40

Ferrari is hard at work trying to refine the turbocharging process so that future products will use the high-horsepower, low emissions (and low weight) technology. According to a report in the U.K.’s Autocar, Ferrari engine chief Jean-Jacques His confirmed that the company is preparing to use turbochargers, but that it will take time to develop a new version that will mitigate the efforts of turbo lag. This confirms the patent drawings that leaked out earlier this year revealing a developmental two-stage turbocharging system from Ferrari.

Conventionally, turbos take time to spool up to full power, but that doesn’t suit the Ferrari way of doing things. Instead, Ferrari has traditionally opted for naturally aspirated (non-turbocharged or supercharged) engines that deliver better throttle response and a more linear delivery of power. His told Autocar that a delay of any sort in the power delivery was simply unacceptable.

A few years ago Porsche introduced variable turbine geometry (VTG) turbos that helped reduce turbo lag significantly, but apparently even that impressive technology is not enough for Ferrari. The company has also dismissed using Fiat Group’s new MultiAir variable valve system, finding that it wouldn’t work at the kinds of revs and horsepower outputs at which Ferrari engines operate.

Ferrari has used turbos sparily across its model range over the years, including most recently-during the turbo era in F1, the iconic F40 supercar (pictured above), which was last made in 1992 (and the 288 GTO before it) which were powered by a twin-turbo V8s. The legendary F40 supercar has a 2.9L turbo V8 that produces 478 hp with 16 psi of boost and sends it to 60 mph (97 km/h) in the mid-three second range.

Another bit of info gleaned from the interview is that Ferrari’s new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which debuted in the Ferrari California, is suitable for V12 engines since they can operate up to 10,000 rpm, meaning that we’re likely to see this new technology arrive in the successor to the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and other future V12 models.

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Source: autoguide.com, autoblog.com and wot.motortrend.com

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

There is another rumor about a hybrid Ferrari. The British magazine Autocar says “senior officials” at the Scuderia have confirmed they’re hard at work on an all-wheel-drive gas-electric drivetrain that will appear in the successor to the 612 Scaglietti. This has been said before, but this time around Ferrari’s offered a deadline for the technology-2014.

Word that Ferrari was considering hybrid tech first came more than a year ago when company boss Amedeo Felisa told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport “a hybrid solution will come.” The rumor mill kicked into overdrive last summer when Autocar got its hands on patent drawings of a hybrid all-wheel-drive system that uses an electric motor to drive one set of wheels and a gasoline engine to drive the other.

The system is designed to maximize handling, not fuel efficiency. Autocar’s sources say the all-wheel drive system will use motors mounted inboard of the front wheels. The idea is having electric motors up front will improve acceleration and handling because the torque sent to the wheels can be “carefully controlled.”

In a separate report, Autocar says Maranello also is looking at turbochargers but so far isn’t satisfied with the systems it has tested. “Turbocharging will come eventually, but we need to solve the issue of turbo lag,” engine developer Jean-Jacques His told Autocar.

And, as His so eloquently put it, any delay in a Ferrari’s power delivery is simply unacceptable.

What do you think about an all-wheel-drive gas-electric drivetrain on a Ferrari?

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Source: wired.com