The go-fast gurus at Ferrari are working on a successor to the jaw-dropping Enzo that could be the lightest, quickest two-seater ever to roll out of Maranello.
We told you months ago the Scuderia's next supercar would be based on the Millechili concept that embraces the "less is more" ethos. Ferrari sees lighter cars as the best way to reach its goal of increasing fuel economy 40 percent and reducing emissions 25 percent without compromising its reputation for performance. The Millechili is a guidepost to that greener future.
The future arrives in two years in a 600-horsepower car that weighs 2,200 pounds.
According to Car and Driver, Ferrari will introduce the as-yet-unnamed supercar in 2010. C&D says it won't be called the Millechili -- but it will look a lot like the styling concept (pictured) Ferrari showed off last year.
The car will have an aluminum space frame similar to the F430 Scuderia but stretched to a wheelbase of 104.3 inches and fitted with a V10 engine. That's a break from Ferrari's tradition of putting V8s or V12s in its road cars, but Ferrari won five consecutive Formula 1 championships with its V10s, so the engine undoubtedly will be a corker.
The only thing sweeter than the car's engine is its weight. Millechili is Italian for 1,000 kilos, and that's just what the car will weigh. Not only is that 660 pounds lighter than the Enzo, it's 200 pounds lighter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata and only 216 pounds heavier than the Lotus Elise. The Enzo accelerated from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.65 seconds and had a claimed top speed of 225 mph, so it's safe to say the Millechili will be very quick. It'll certainly have one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any car on the road, coming in behind the Caparo T1 and SSC Ultimate Aero but ahead of the Saleen S7 and Bugatti Veyron. Active suspension will adjust the ride height for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and handling.
That kind of performance doesn't come cheap. If you want one of the 300 or so cars Maranello plans to build, be ready to lay out half a million dollars.
Photo by Ferrrari.
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