There’s no doubt that the SF90 XX Stradale is one of the highlights of 2023, but you may have been disappointed to learn that it made just 30 hp (22 kW/30 PS) more than the standard SF90 when it first came out. Ferrari has just proven that the extra power, in addition to all of the other performance improvements, makes a significant difference on the racetrack, setting a blistering record around its famed Fiorano test track.
With a lap time of 1:17.309, the SF90 XX Stradale is the fastest street-legal Ferrari around Fiorano, and 1.4 seconds faster than the standard SF90 Stradale, an impressive margin given the track’s short length.
Read: Hardcore SF90 XX Is Ferrari’s First Road-Legal XX Supercar
The lap was achieved by Ferrari’s head of development test-driving, Raffaele de Simone, on October 16. Power comes from a hybridized powertrain that features a 4.0-liter V8 and three electric motors. Together, they give the driver control over 1,016 hp (758 kW/1,030 PS), thanks to improved inlet and exhaust tracks, new pistons, and a tweaked combustion chamber shape.
In addition to the extra oomph, the car also weighs 22 lbs (10 kg) less than the standard model, thanks to things like the carbon fiber wheels, and the new lighter seats.
The SF90 XX Stradale also gets help sticking to the track thanks to a big, motorsport-style fixed rear wing, plus new aero elements that run under and through it. Taken together, these create a total of 1,169 lbs (530 kg) of downforce at 155 mph (240 km/h), up from 860 lbs (390 kg) for the standard SF90. No wonder, then, that every example that Ferrari said it would build has already been spoken for.
