But before you think that Ferrari is absolutely comfortable and secure with their decision to sell SUVs in exchange for money, they do offer a bit of only very faintly defensive justification for why they’re building such a car, referencing some of their history:
I think the drivetrain layout is especially interesting. As Ferrari describes it: So, it sounds like the engine is driving axles from both ends: the front ones via the PTO, and the rears through the transmission and driveshaft. Those driven axles can take the Purosangue from 0 to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds, and double that to 124 mph in 10.6 seconds.
A post shared by The Autopian (@theautopian) Ferrari’s press release gives all kinds of exciting details about this V12:
To guarantee maximum mechanical efficiency, the rotating masses have been redesigned. The nitrided steel crankshaft was modified to lengthen the stroke and the internal oil passageways have been redesigned to improve oil flow to the big-end bearings. Lower bearing clearance tolerances improve consumption. The coolant and oil pump assembly was also redesigned focussing on the scavenge section to reduce friction and mass thanks to the adoption of smaller diameter rotors and optimising the inlets and outlets as well as the rotor seals. The valve train timing is all new, while the new finishing process for the camshafts has considerably reduced the surface roughness and the friction coefficient between the lobes, the shafts themselves and the hydraulic tappets. To optimise the torque curve and ensure a continual increase across the rev range, the geometry of the intake ducts and plenums was revised. The geometry of the exhaust system was also optimised to increase permeability reduce back pressure. There are specific pistons with a redesigned crown to increase combustion efficiency. The engine’s direct injection system comprises two high-pressure fuel pumps (350 bar) that deliver petrol to the injectors in the combustion chambers. The ignition system, comprising 12 coils and spark plugs, is constantly monitored by the ECU which has an ion-sensing system that measures ionising currents to control ignition timing. It has a single- and a multi-spark function to make the combustion as efficient as possible at all revs. The ECU also controls combustion in the chamber to ensure that the engine is always working at peak thermodynamic efficiency, thanks to a sophisticated strategy that recognises the octane rating (RON) of the fuel in the tank and adjusting the advance to suit. The engine strategy includes a new patented function derived from Ferrari’s Formula expertise that optimises the torque during transient acceleration manoeuvres in the low and mid-range. Bodywise, Ferrari is using a carbon fiber roof panel to keep the weight low, and it has the largest trunk ever on a Ferrari. There’s also an exciting and mildly silly new term for what we all call “suicide doors” that Ferrari would rather use (emphasis mine):
A really interesting detail of the aero and design is the suspended wing on the hood, called an “aerobridge” by Ferrari.
The purpose of this aero element is to reduce drag and “to generate suction near the evacuation point of the central radiators on the front underbody. This maximises cooling of the central radiating masses as efficiently as possible and also allowed the design of a much smaller radiator intake.” Also, as an SUV, the wheels and higher ride height create more drag, so this and other aero elements are employed to help mitigate those effects.
Other interesting details found in Ferrari’s press information is that there’s a function they call “Sailing” that “allows the engine and gearbox to be automatically decoupled to guarantee greater smoothness in driving situations where traction isn’t required” which reminds me a lot of the “freewheel” functionality you’d find on old DKWs and Saabs and other two-stroke cars so you could coast without burning up your engine, which otherwise would be starved of lubricant. I think the purpose is pretty different here, though.
There’s a full palette of driver-assist systems and other expected modern toys, of course:
I don’t know about that, Benny. If you don’t want it to be called an SUV, then maybe you shouldn’t have made an SUV [ED Note: I’d say this is more of a crossover, TBH – MH]. It’s still a Ferrari, though, I’m with you there, and it’s quite lovely and seems very fast and fun. So maybe just relax and let people call it an SUV.
The Purosangue will start at $390,195 and it seems 2,000 people have already pre-ordered one. Oh, and Ferrari has a request to all of us about this thing, from Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna:
Reference the Tesla Model 3; not a bad looking car, but the Model Y; looks like a 3 that has been dead for a while, and left out in the sun, to rot; all bloated and ready to pop. The Mach E (I still can’t call it a Mustang), is not bad looking for a puffed up sedan. But this thing; if you gotta drive a crossover, give me one of theese….A V-12 and suicide doors? It really does look like a Ferrari, and that’s about as sexy as a cute ‘ute can get. After watching the video clip, those are some pretty bad ass noises coming out of that Soccer Mom car. Knock a few hundred thousand $ off the sticker price, and I’m in.
So it’s just a taller FF?
I double dog dare someone to take it off roading though.
So does this one have the weirdo 2 speed transmission driving the front, like the FF had?
Friction coefficient between the lobes and the shafts themselves?
And Ferrari have been so stoic prior to launch this with the whole SUV business that it’s very surprising reading so much marketing fluff about the styling and engine specs… It’s as if they’re convincing themselves, by pure repetition, that this is an earth-shatteringly innovative car. “Now, in the culmination of 75 years of leading- edge research, Ferrari has created a car that is unique on the world stage”. UGH. Awkward. My BS-o-meter is beeping madly.
Thousands of lines are yet to be written about this expensive aberration. I’m exhausted already.
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