More controllable than any Ferrari

Based on the Ferrari SF90, the top range of catalog models, the “Circuit Model” can also be driven on public roads. We test-drove its open-top model, the “SF90 XX Spider,” on public roads in France. How does this limited edition model, which has been developed with the ultimate in circuit performance, perform on public roads? 

The goal is to achieve circuit lap times

We took the limited edition Ferrari SF90 XX Spider, with a maximum output of over 1000ps and a price tag easily exceeding 100 million yen, for a test drive on French roads.

Ferrari has long placed V12-powered cars at the top of its catalog model range. This may be countered with “The 288 GTO and F40 had V8 engines,” but both of these cars were limited edition models with a limited number of units produced. At that time, too, the top performer in the continuously produced models was the V12-powered car.

That history was changed in 2019 with the SF90, which combined a mid-ship V8 twin-turbo engine delivering 780 hp with a three-motor hybrid system (but this was a plug-in type), much like the second-generation Honda NSX. The hybrid system achieves a maximum system output of just 1,000ps. It is a super sports car, with a top speed of over 340 km/h and an acceleration time of 2.5 seconds from 0-100 km/h.

And the SF90 XX is a limited edition model that was created to produce even more performance than this SF90.

But with a maximum output of 1030ps, it does not overwhelmingly outperform the SF90. In other words, even though it outperforms the SF90, the SF90 XX’s goal was not to make a difference in terms of maximum speed or start acceleration performance.

So what were we aiming for with the SF90 XX? It was lap times on the track. To achieve this goal, Ferrari thoroughly refined the aerodynamics, retuned the suspension, and reduced the originally lightweight SF90’s weight by an additional 10 kg.

Aerodynamics was thoroughly strengthened

The most notable feature of the SF90 is its aerodynamics, symbolized by the independent rear wing, the first on a Ferrari road car since the 1995 F50. The shut-off gurney, which raises and lowers the flap behind the rear window to adjust downforce, and the F1-derived S-duct, which directs airflow from the floor to the top of the body to increase downforce, were adopted to achieve a downforce of 530 kg, which was greater than the 390 kg of the SF90. The result was a downforce of 530 kg, which was greater than the 390 kg of the SF90.

It is natural to assume that the suspension, which was otherwise tuned for circuit use, was “changed harder” to accommodate this increase in downforce. The author had test driven an SF90 equipped with the Asset Fiorano high performance kit in Japan and knew that the suspension was “almost at the limit of hardness for public road use,” so you can imagine that we were very enthusiastic when we took the SF90 XX out for a test drive on public roads. I was very enthusiastic when I test-drove the SF90 XX on public roads.

Driving on public roads, it is hard to believe that it is a “circuit machine”

However, as soon as you start driving the car, you realize that this is a serious misunderstanding. The suspension is much more suppler than that of the SF90 Asset Fiorano, and is as comfortable as the 296 GTB/GTS, which I would like to spend the most time in of all the current Ferraris. On the contrary, on rough surfaces, the body does not sway slightly as in the 296 GTB/GTS, but behaves in a firm and calm manner, making it even more comfortable to drive than the 296 GTB/GTS.

The difference between the 296 GTB/GTS and the 296 GTB/GTS becomes even wider at high speeds, where the body continues to maintain a perfectly flat posture and the suspension seems to absorb all impacts from the road surface. This high quality of ride comfort must be attributed to the SF90 XX’s superior body rigidity and the downforce that surpasses that of the SF90. The reason why the increased downforce improves ride quality is that, as far as ride quality is concerned, downforce has an effect similar to that of an increase in vehicle weight. Although this also depends on the suspension settings, there can be no doubt that the firm and stable ride can be enjoyed because of the effect of the downforce.

For the same reason, the steering wheel is also very comfortable at high speeds, and the car moves straight ahead like an arrow with just a light hand on the steering wheel. Furthermore, road noise and exhaust noise are not unreasonably loud, making long-distance driving comfortable. It is hard to believe that the car set a lap record of 1 minute 17.309 seconds at Ferrari’s Fiorano Circuit, beating the SF90’s 1 minute 19 seconds.

Already sold out after the announcement!

I drove the SF90 XX at the Fiorano Circuit in November 2023, and was also impressed by its controllability. Even though the conditions that day were difficult and a bit wet, it was not difficult to get performance at the very limit because the tires conveyed the feeling just before they started to slide. I can honestly say that the SF90 XX was more controllable than any Ferrari I have ever driven at Fiorano.

The only disappointment with the SF90 XX, which is not only fast and controllable on the track, but also exceptionally comfortable on the road, is that it is no longer available; the SF90 XX is available in two models, a coupe and a spider, but the former is limited to 799 units and the latter to 599 units. The SF90 XX is a limited edition of 799 units. And, as is often the case with Ferrari’s limited edition models, it was already sold out when it was unveiled in June 2023. Of course, the price is not the only barrier for us. The coupe costs 770,000 euros and the spider costs 850,000 euros. In any case, it is still an expensive car that ordinary people like me cannot afford.