In any motor show, the Ferrari stand is a crowd magnet. Beijing wasn’t an exception, especially since the Prancing Horse displayed its brand-new F12berlinetta.
The company’s CEO Amedeo Felisa said that the 730HP supercar lapped the Fiorano circuit in 1’23’’, which is the fastest time ever recorded by a production Ferrari, including the mighty Enzo. It’s also 30 percent more frugal than the 599 it replaces, with an average consumption of 15 lt/100 km (15 mpg US).
Even though the supercar, which made its Asian debut at Beijing, was the center of attention, the novelty that Ferrari displayed in China is the new powerplant that will power the next Enzo, rumored to be called the F70.
The powertrain architecture combines a naturally-aspirated V12 with a dual-clutch transmission and two electric motors.
The first electric motor is placed between the V12 and the transmission and is connected to one of its two clutches ensuring instant power delivery, while during braking it acts as a power generator for recharging the battery pack. The second electric motor is placed in front of the V12 and is used to power the car’s auxiliary systems.
The hybrid powertrain is an evolution of the HY-KERS that was displayed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in a concept 599 GTB. This is the first time that the system comes in a mid-engined layout, while Ferrari says that compared to the first iteration, the new unit is both smaller and lighter, enabling the Enzo replacement to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40% instead of 30% at the European test cycle.
You can watch the new powertrain in detail in the video that follows after the jump.
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