Ferrari LaFerrari

[bhall]

The Ferrari LaFerrari hybrid supercar is being hand-built in an assembly hall on the Ferrari campus in Maranello, Italy, that is usually used to construct Formula 1 prototype racing cars. Given the amount of F1-derived technologies and materials used in LaFerrari, this seems entirely appropriate.

By the time we visited the LaFerrari hall, on April 28, 2014, LaFerrari had been in production for some five months. The entire production run will total only 499 cars, of which 120 are designated for U.S. customers, and if that doesn’t seem like many, Franco Cimatti, the MIT-educated engineer who’s in charge of vehicle concepts and pre-development at Ferrari, reminds us that Ferrari built only 349 F50 supercars and only 399 examples of the famed Ferrari Enzo. Why only 499 LaFerraris, rather than 500? we ask. “The ‘9’ is to underline the fact that Enzo Ferrari used to say that we should always build one fewer car than the market will bear,” says Cimatti. And with only about one LaFerrari being completed on average per work day, “499 cars works out to about two and a half years. After that, LaFerrari is too old for such a special car.”

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the steps involved in building each car.

The rest of the article and more pictures can be found here.

[ecapox]

That car is bananas. Period.

[AnthonyG]

The local Ferrari dealer has one in his showroom, I wish I could say the nose looks better in real life, sadly it doesn't.

[MadMatt]

That car is bananas. Period.

Agree with that. In this recent time full of eco-crap and whatever-saving, it is very brave from Ferrari to go with a V12. Brave or stupid some would say, but I take my hat off to Ferrari!

[Richard]

Why only 499 LaFerraris, rather than 500? we ask. “The ‘9’ is to underline the fact that Enzo Ferrari used to say that we should always build one fewer car than the market will bear,” says Cimatti. And with only about one LaFerrari being completed on average per work day, “499 cars works out to about two and a half years. After that, LaFerrari is too old for such a special car.”

The two year limit sounds like the genuine rational for the production run.

The bit about 1 less then than market is classic marginal cost/revenue theory, Henry Ford knew about that. However I'd say it's post rationalising the choice of a quirky number dreamed up in a PR meeting rather than genuine analysis of the market.

[George-Jung]

How would she look in 50 shades of grey?

[bhall]

I think it looks really good in silver, especially with the matching roof.

I'll take one in white, please.

[Sevach]

Pics of a yellow one or bust

[George-Jung]

[Richard]

Do they have McLaren orange?

[ecapox]

Red, Black or Yellow. Only acceptable colors for a Ferrari.

but boy oh boy does that white one look amazing.

[bhall]

Do they have McLaren orange?

Sacrilegious?

[Sevach]

Thanks George =D>



I'm sexy and i know it.

[MadMatt]

It really is from above that you see all the work Ferrari has done on the aero. From ground level some shots don't do it justice!

[Emerson.F]

Wing?



Or Chrome?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTtrRj2f71E[/youtube]

A nice fxx concept. Notice the 599xx rear wheel arches.