Ferrari F80 - Is Ferrari's New V6 Hypercar a Disappointment?

Written by: Paul Pearce

The Ferrari F80. A name that conjures up visions of Italian madness, of engines roaring like a symphony of lions, and of course, the expectation that your wallet will be gouged by Maranello’s finest. But when I heard the F80 was announced, I rushed to find out more. Surely, this was the next great Ferrari, the spiritual successor to the 288GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and of course, the incredible LaFerrari that I drove in Croatia earlier this month. A car so perfect that it was almost illegal.

What did I find when I searched for the F80? Disappointment on four wheels, that’s what.

A V6?! What has the world come to when Ferrari’s flagship hypercar is powered by the kind of engine that used to power your neighbour’s Vauxhall Vectra? Okay, fine, this is some fancy, turbocharged nonsense, but that’s like sticking a top hat on a pigeon and calling it royalty. A V6 just isn’t what Ferrari’s hypercar division is about. They’re supposed to do one thing better than anyone else: making engines that sound like God clearing his throat in a thunderstorm. Not this! A V12 sounds like Pavarotti; a V6? That’s a busker with a kazoo. And we’re supposed to believe this is progress?

And then there’s that price. £3.1 million! THREE. POINT. ONE. MILLION. For that, I expect it to be made out of pure moonrock, powered by antimatter, and come with its own island where I can drive it at speeds only visible on the Large Hadron Collider. But no, what you’re getting is a £3 million hatchback engine in a suit. You’d think for that much money they could at least give you the proper 12-cylinder Ferrari wail, but instead, what do we get? Half the cylinders, but all the zeros on the price tag.

It’s not all bad though! We have electrification added to our V6. Yes, the future is electric, blah blah blah, save the planet, polar bears will hug you, whatever. But that’s not why you buy a Ferrari hypercar! You buy it because it’s a mad, Italian V12 beast that guzzles super unleaded with the enthusiasm of a fat kid at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Now we’re told to love it because it’s got hybrid assistance? Right. Next, they’ll tell us Ferrari is making an SUV. Oh, wait… they already did.

The design? It’s aggressive, sure. It’s sharp, angular, and looks like it was drawn by someone after watching Tron on a caffeine overdose. But it’s a Ferrari, so that’s expected. However, no amount of swoopy carbon-fiber bits will distract me from the fact that under all that flair, it’s still got an engine that will likely sound like it was stolen from a high powered food blender, pretending to be something more.

But here’s the kicker. After all my complaints, after all my whining about the loss of the mighty V12 and the eye-watering price that could buy you a small Caribbean island complete with its own monarchy… I still want one. Of course I do. Because it’s Ferrari’s new flagship. It’ll still be stupidly fast, it’ll still turn every head within a five-mile radius, and even if it sounds like a Dyson on steroids, it’ll feel like a Ferrari.

And that is why Ferrari can sell you a £3.1 million V6 and not only will you be happy to hand over your organs and your lifetime earnings, you’ll actually thank them for giving you the opportunity to do so.