The new Ferrari F80 hypercar was officially unveiled a few days ago, but it appears it was initially conceived as a single-seater, as revealed in a recent Top Gear interview by Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s head of design. He stated that the Prancing Horse’s goal was to create an extreme car and, for this reason, the cockpit was initially too narrow to accommodate two people.
Ferrari F80 was designed as a single-seater
“For me and my team, it was clear that we wanted to create something absolutely futuristic and disruptive,” Manzoni stated. Eventually, engineers found a solution to fit a passenger seat, but positioned further back compared to the driver’s seat. Additionally, to further emphasize the single-seater feeling, the driver’s seat is separated by a central console that rises up.
In the same interview, he also explained why a V6 engine was chosen instead of a V8. The automaker wanted to extract the best performance from this model, which is why they chose the V6, which alone produces 900 HP, combined with a hybrid system that offers an additional 300 HP, for a total of 1,200 HP. The first deliveries of the new Ferrari F80 are expected in early 2026, and only 799 units will be produced. Although all 799 units have already been sold, Ferrari has published the configurator online so now you have the chance to customize your $4 million hypercar however you like. Too bad it will never be delivered to your home.
Its first public appearance, which took place at the Imola circuit in Italy during the 2024 Ferrari World Finals, disappointed enthusiasts for one particular reason: the sound. According to many enthusiasts, the sound doesn’t reflect the hypercar’s enormous power and, in fact, would be too “calm” compared to the Ferrari 12Cilindri, the supercar that houses the V12 engine.