Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Ferrari shows off new Le Mans car. Image by Ferrari.

Ferrari shows off new Le Mans car
499P will make its debut at Sebring
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

What's all this about?

Ferrari is back in top-line sports car racing and coming back to the iconic Le Mans 24hrs.

Didn't we already know that was happening?

Yes, we did but we didn’t know what Ferrari’s new racing car would look like, nor did we know what it would be called. The car is the 499P — that P on the end standing for ‘Prototipo’ and being something of a throwback to classic sports car racers such as the gorgeous 312P of 1969.

The 499 bit is a bit of a throwback too, as it refers to the swept capacity of each of the six cylinders of the car’s engine, giving a total of 3.0-litres. Actually, the 120-degree V6 engine is almost something of a stock-block, being closely related to that used by the 296 GT3 hybrid-engined sports car. Mind you, ‘related to’ covers a pretty big gap…

Like the 296 road car, the 499P is a hybrid — as it has to be to meet the new Le Mans regulations — but unlike Porsche, Ferrari has elected to go down the ‘Hypercar’ rules route, rather than the cheaper and more proscribed LMDH rules that means cars must have customer-made chassis and tightly regulated hybrid components. It also means that Ferrari can create its own bodywork to help include more styling references to its road cars. In fact, the 499P’s headlights are supposed to be reminiscent of the SP3 Daytona supercar…

How much power will it have?

It’ll have 680hp, or a nice even 500kW - a figure which is being tightly controlled for Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship to try to ensure close racing. It uses a hybrid Energy Recovery System (ERS) for electric power, which can contribute up to 272hp to the car’s overall power, but again there are strict rules on how this energy can be harvested and deployed, and again the car can’t exceed the mandated total of 680hp. The hybrid system that Ferrari has chosen works on the front axle only, harvesting power under braking and send that power back to the front wheels when needed.

What's with the big yellow stripe?

That’s another throwback to Ferrari’s glory days of sports car racing, when its cars would often run in red and yellow schemes. The 499P’s colour scheme is actually said to be a homage to the cars driven in the early 1970s by the likes of Brian Redman and Jacky Ickx.

Even the 499P’s entry numbers are significant — the two cars will run with numbers 50 and 51 on the doors, and 51 in particular has a recent historical resonance, as all four of Ferrari’s recent GTE Pro titles in sports car racing have been taken by an AF Corse-run car carrying the number 51. AF Corse will take responsibility for running the 499Ps.

How sophisticated is it?

Very. Aside from the hybrid system, the 499P uses a full carbon-fibre body and chassis, and Ferrari claims that “the geometry of the double wishbone, push- rod-type suspension results in outstanding qualities of damping stiffness, the benefits of which are evident at both maximum velocity as well as in cornering.”

When can we see it in action?

Ferrari will give the 499P its racing debut at the Sebring 1000kms next March — the torturous Florida race track is often thought of as an ideal way to prepare for an assault on Le Mans.

John Elkann, Ferrari's executive chairman, said: “The 499P sees us return to compete for outright victory in the WEC series. When we decided to commit to this project, we embarked on a path of innovation and development, faithful to our tradition that sees the track as the ideal terrain to push the boundaries of cutting-edge technological solutions, solutions that in time will be transferred to our road cars. We enter this challenge with humility, but conscious of a history that has taken us to over 20 world endurance titles and nine overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”



Neil Briscoe - 2 Nov 2022


2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.

2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.2023 Ferrari 499P. Image by Ferrari.    








www.ferrari.co.uk    - Ferrari road tests
- Ferrari news
- 499P images






Land Rover teases new flagship Defender Octa. Image by Land Rover.
Land Rover Defender Octa teaser
The forthcoming, high-performance, top-of-the-range Defender takes its name from the shape of a diamond, apparently.
 
Volkswagen unveils hot ID.3 GTX models. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.3 GTX reveal
High-performance electric hatchback will be offered in ‘standard’ and Performance guises.
VW adds go-faster GTX model to ID.7 range. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.7 GTX reveal
The hot ID.7 GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive, and it’ll be offered in saloon and estate body styles.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©