Ferrari is great at many things, but one of its biggest strengths is keeping us guessing. We usually already have a clear idea about how most automakers’ cars are going to look before they officially pull back the covers, but Ferrari manages to keep information locked down partly by its careful use of disguise.
And let’s be clear, the LaFerrari successor you see in these pictures is wearing plenty of it, and we’re not just talking about the bits of camo wrap. The boxy sections of bodywork that might suggest Ferrari is preparing to launch the ugliest supercar ever committed to asphalt aren’t what we’ll see on the finished car – codenamed P250 – when it’s finally revealed, potentially in late 2024.
And that’s not the only bit of fakery we can spot on these two Ferrari prototypes. A close look at the two visible exhaust tailpipes suggests both are dummies and that the real exhaust is the rectangular section of metal located between them, and behind the crude mesh covering the back of the car.
Some of these spy shots show how the butterfly-style doors cut deep into the roof structure, and of course, you can’t miss the giant motorsport-style rear wing. But if Ferrari follows tradition, that will be replaced with an active spoiler for the production model that will be able to fold away when not needed to maintain the purity of design boss Flavio Manzoni’s lines.
Related: Ferrari Will Unveil LaFerrari Successor In 2024, Per Allegedly Leaked Document
Yellow warning symbols dotted around one of the cars tells us it’s running a hybrid powertrain, which is hardly surprising since LaFerrari featured hybrid power from its launch back in 2013. But that was an electrically-assisted V12, while the P250 might drop to just six cylinders. Ferrari has said the hypercar will inherit technology from the firm’s F1 and 499P Le Mans racing programs, and the racing cars in both those series use turbocharged V6 power, as does Ferrari’s most recent sports car, the 296. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a V12.
Whatever engine configuration it employs, expect a monster power output to go with an equally monstrous $2.5+ million price. LaFerrari’s 986 hp (1,000 PS) seemed huge a decade ago, but the regular SF90 matches it these days, so Ferrari is probably going to have to deliver close to 1,500 hp (1,521 PS) to really move the game on and compete with (admittedly heavier) electric hypercars like the Rimac Nevera that make a third as much power again.
Rumors suggest an October 2024 unveil for the P250 coupe, though it will have a proper name by then, with a hardcore XX variant coming the year after and an Aperta convertible in 2027. And in true Ferrari hypercar fashion, production is likely to be limited to just a few hundred units. A document allegedly leaked last fall claiming Ferrari would build 828 cars in total, made up of 599 coupes, 199 convertibles, and 30 XX machines.
