October 29, 2022. A historic date for Ferrari, which officially unveils its hybrid Hypercar to the world to compete for overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship, fifty years after the 312P, the last Maranello world champion prototype . The car was renamed 499P, in perfect tradition with the nomenclature of Ferrari sports prototypes. 499 underlines the unit displacement, while the letter P underlines its nature as a prototype. The predominantly red livery features touches of yellow, a tribute to the color scheme of the 1972 312P.
The 499P was born within the GT Ferrari Sports Activities department directed by Antonello Colettawith the technical direction of the project entrusted to Ferdinando Cannizzo. The new Rossa is equipped with a heat engine V6 biturbo with 120 ° bank angle, derived from the propulsion unit of the 296 road. Thanks also to the displacement close to 3 liters, the engine releases up to 680 horsepower. It is housed in a central position with a load-bearing function, unlike the other GT models where the engine is anchored to the frame. The power of the thermal is managed by a seven-speed transmission.
The Hypercar from Maranello has four-wheel drive thanks to the hybrid system. At the front it is present a 200 kW electric motor generator, the equivalent of 272 horsepower, mated to a differential. The overall power of the prototype is however limited to 500 kW, as per regulation. Thanks to the front engine, the 499P is able to recharge the battery under braking, using a brake-by-wire system. The accumulator itself boasts a very high rated voltage, as much as 900 Volts, to maximize efficiency. The battery benefits from technology developed for Formula 1 single-seatersbut it was produced entirely by the Hypercar project staff.
The suspensions are double wishbones with push-rod layout, while great attention has been paid to aerodynamic development. Although the load and resistance values are prescribed by the regulation, the aerodynamic design can still make a difference in terms of balance and consistency in all driving conditions, leading to the proliferation of stabilizer strips on the bodywork. The shapes of the 499P were also handled by the Ferrari Style Center coordinated by Flavio Manzoni, to give the car the typical Ferrari DNA. Among the numerous noteworthy elements, the light bar stands out at the rear, a thin carbon profile on which the positioning lights are placed.
John Elkann, Ferrari CEO said: “The 499P allows us to compete again for the overall victory in the endurance world championship. When we decided to commit ourselves to this project, we followed a path of innovation and development faithful to our tradition that sees the track as the ideal terrain for experimenting with cutting-edge technical solutions, before transferring them to our road cars. We faced this challenge with humility, but aware of a history that has allowed us to conquer more than 20 world titles and 9 overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ”. He echoes him Antonello Colettaat the head of Ferrari GT Sports Activities: “The 499P is a dream that becomes reality. Today is an important time for all the people who have worked hard on this project over the past two years. We wanted to pay homage to our history, with many small and large references to a past made up of successes and titles. In doing so, however, we looked ahead, creating a manifesto of our commitment to world endurance. The 499P is a prototype that is distinctly Ferrari, in the fullest meaning of the term, and it is with emotion that we finally share it with our customers and fans of our brand ”.
The technical director also said a few words about his creation Ferdinando Cannizzo: “For me and the whole team, this moment is really exciting, we know we have a great responsibility. We tried our hand at the conception and design of a completely new and particularly complex car in all its parts. An unprecedented challenge that stimulated everyone to put the best resources into play and led to a 360 ° collaboration that involved all company areas and technical partners. Starting with a blank sheet of paper guaranteed unique and continuous motivations to find effective solutions and guarantee the 499P performance and reliability. From the first shake down to the first race we have planned a very intense development program, both on the track and on our test benches, which is providing interesting and promising feedback. The synthesis work that awaits us in the coming weeks and which will see us engaged in further tests on the track, is the most important for the final development and integration of all systems. We still have many kilometers to go but the team is aware of the importance of the project and will continue not to lack commitment, passion, maturity and great professionalism “
Two 499Ps will be involved in WEC 2023, rigorously managed on the track in collaboration with the historic partner AF Corse. In addition to the traditional race number 51, the other Rossa will sport the number 50 in homage to the return to the top of endurance fifty years after the 312P. Ferrari thus aims to enrich its palmares in the World Championship, which counts 29 titles and 9 overall victories at Le Mans, which make the Cavallino the third most successful manufacturer ever in the history of the French marathon.
#WEC #Ferrari #unveils #Hypercar #Mans #499P #FormulaPassion.it