Ferrari is now about a year out from launching the next member of its Special Series.
Ferrari engineers have been spotted again with a prototype for what's thought to be the successor to the LaFerrari, a model that is code-named the F250 (the LaFerrari was the F150).
The upcoming hypercar will be the latest member in Ferrari's Special Series, which in addition to the LaFerrari includes the 288 GTO, F40, F50, and Enzo.
Such models are offered to Ferrari's most loyal customers only and typically rise significantly in value. The LaFerrari cost approximately $1.4 million when new but today is trading for three times that figure on the used-car market.
The F250 prototype was heavily camouflaged, and the lights and many of the body panels were actually dummy units to hide the final design. The exhaust tips were also dummy units as the real exhaust was vented from between the fake pipes.
The car already looks lower and wider than the LaFerrari, and it sports clear influences from Ferrari's Le Mans-winning 499P LMH race car. The 499P influence can clearly be seen in the front fascia, and don't be surprised if a single light strip like on the race car also makes it to the F250. Ferrari most recently used the motif on its hardcore SF90 XX. The doors, meanwhile, follow the typical butterfly-wing design shared with the LaFerrari and its Enzo predecessor.
The first test mules using a makeshift LaFerrari body were spotted as early as 2021, but Ferrari still has a lot of development planned as the F250 isn't expected to debut until the second half of 2024. Deliveries should follow in the first half of 2025.
2023 Ferrari 499P LMH race car
All Ferrari has said about the car is that it will be launched by 2026 and be limited to "far less" than 5% of the automaker's total volume. Considering the company built 500 LaFerrari coupes, plus an additional 210 LaFerrari Aperta convertibles, we could expect around 600 F250s built plus an additional 200-250 convertible versions. The bigger volume is necessary to satisfy Ferrari's growing customer base in new markets.
Warning stickers on the prototype confirmed it had an electrified powertrain, though it isn't clear whether it uses a V-12 or a smaller unit. There are rumors Ferrari might use a turbocharged V-6 as the powertrain's internal-combustion component. This would be an additional link to the 499P, whose turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 is also related to the unit in the 296 supercar. The “499” in the race car's name is a reference to the 499 cc displacement of the engine's individual cylinders.
Ferrari LaFerrari successor (F250) spy shots - Photo credit: Baldauf
Ferrari may even use 499 in the name as yet another nod to the LMH race car. Trademarks filed by the automaker include 499 GTB, 499 GTS, 499 Speciale, and 499P Modificata.
We're sure whatever the bright minds at Ferrari dream up for the LaFerrari successor will be nothing short of impressive.
