Rarely have we seen so much hype build around an upcoming car. After countless speculative renderings and teasers, guesses regarding its technical specifications and its name, it's finally here –LaFerrari, the "Enzo successor", which has just made its debut in Geneva. That basically means "the Ferrari" so with a name like that you expect it to be great.
You also expect it to have a high-revving V12 engine, which it does, as well as a much talked-about electric motor to provide an extra bit of shove and prove that Ferrari cares about the environment – this car is a hybrid, which features a HY-KERS system (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), charging the batteries (which we'll get to later on) through regenerative braking or by using the engine.
The engine, which displaces 6262cc (6.3-liters) has a peak power output of 800PS (789hp), which arrives at 9,000 rpm, just 250 rpm shy of the big V12's redline. The aforementioned electric motor adds an extra 160HP (163PS), pushing the car's total power figure to 950HP (963PS), and peak torque over 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) when both powerplants are working in tandem.
LaFerrari can sprint from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in under three seconds and 0-300 km/h (0-186 mph) in 15 seconds, before topping out at 350 km/h (217 mph) – just a little bit slower than the other eye-catching Italian supercar present at the show, the Lamborghini Veneno.
We previously mentioned battery pack, which weighs 62 kg and is mounted in the center of the car so as not to negatively affect its center of gravity and weight distribution, which is rear-biased (41% front and 59% rear). Still, even with the total weight of the hybrid system, which comes in at 140 kg (308 lbs), the car is still a featherweight, tipping the scales at just 1,255 kg (2,767 lbs).
Design-wise, there are really no surprises, and LaFerrari is a well-proportioned and handsome machine. Sadly, as with the Enzo, these cars will only be made in their hundreds (499 in this case), so chances are you'll never see one on the street.
If you want to be sure you do get to see one, all you can do is start saving up, because the car costs €1.3 (£1.11 / $1.69) million.