Hot! Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar

[Tourbillon]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Matski]

Ferrari 499P

Maranello's WEC and Le Mans hypercar contender...

More details coming after a tedious unveil period, like so many cars today... stay tuned.

 

[Tourbillon]

New Ferrari 499P makes track debut in official video | Autocar

Italian manufacturer returns to Le Mans next year with a twin-turbo V6 engine derived from the 296 GT3

www.autocar.co.uk

Ferrari 499P is 670bhp racer built to attack Le Mans
Italian manufacturer returns to Le Mans next year with a twin-turbo V6 engine derived from the 296 GT3!

Ferrari has unveiled its all-new 499P Le Mans Hypercar with which it will bid for overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours next season, for the first time in exactly 50 years.

The world’s most famous sports car maker gave the historic new model its world debut at Ferrari’s Finali Mondiali extravaganza at Imola, revealing a prototype that features a clear nod to its endurance racing past as well as a styling connection to its current road cars.

Two 499Ps will be entered by the factory Ferrari AF Corse team in the 2023 World Endurance Championship, which incorporates Le Mans. The model will make its racing debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in Florida on March 17.


The name follows Ferrari tradition from past Le Mans contenders, 499 referring to the displacement of its V6 twin-turbocharged engine, with P standing for Prototype – an echo of its last factory endurance racer, the 312P of 1973. The yellow stripe incorporated in the livery is also a nod to the iconic sports racer.



Ferrari has built the car to LMH regulations rather than the parallel LMDh rulebook chosen by the likes of Porsche to ensure the 499P is a true in-house Ferrari. The more economically-friendly and simple LMDh formula relies on a spec hybrid system supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering and Bosch, with an Xtrac gearbox, whereas the battery technology in Ferrari’s bespoke 900v, 200kW Energy Recovery System (ERS) connected to the front axle has been developed from the experience learned within the company’s Formula 1 team. Balance of Performance will be used to limit overall power to 500kW (670bhp) across both codes of Hypercar.
“We chose LMH because it is important for Ferrari to make all the car and all the parts,” said endurance racing chief Antonello Coletta. “Ferrari is a constructor, the manufacturer of the car and for us it is not our philosophy to buy a part. We decided to come back into prototypes when the rules gave us the chance to make all the car. This car is a manifesto of the technologies of Ferrari.”

The six-cylinder engine, a load-bearing element in the 499P, is based on the architecture of the unit in the 296 GT3, which was also on show at Imola as the racing evolution of the 296 GTB road car. “Of course, each part is developed and it is completely different to the engine of the street car,” said Coletta. “But this is the base of our philosophy: all the experience of our six cylinder road cars has been the base of this engine.

Etc.

 

[Merc1]

Just sexy.

M

 

[Tourbillon]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Tourbillon]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Tourbillon]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[LaArtist]

Baller

 

[Merc1]

It looks like something out of cartoon, in a good way.

M

 

[Tourbillon]

Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar – Maranello returns to endurance racing | Evo

After a gap of 50 years, Ferrari has returned to the endurance racing fray – and is straight on the pace

www.evo.co.uk

Ferrari 499P revealed as 2023 Le Mans Hypercar contender

A year since Ferrari announced its commitment to the program, it’s finally revealed the new 499P Le Mans Hypercar racer in full.

After months of teasers and strenuous rounds of initial testing, Ferrari has given us our first look at its new Le Mans Hypercar contender, the 499P. Launched as the marque’s first top-flight endurance racer since 1973, it will go head-to-head with the likes of Toyota Gazoo Racing, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus and Peugeot when it makes its race debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in 2023.

The LMh-class 499P is built upon a completely bespoke carbonfibre monocoque, with its hybrid powertrain also unique. Powering the front axle is a single electric motor capable of delivering a peak of 268bhp, drawing power from a 900V battery pack developed using technology derived from its hybrid Formula 1 cars.

Ferrari revealed that it considered the use of V12 and V8 power plants at the project’s inception, but the need to keep weight as low as possible, it settled on a bespoke 120-degree 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 (499 being the displacement of each cylinder). As per the regulations it produces a maximum of 671bhp.

The braking package is a brake-by-wire Brembo system, chosen for its ability to recover energy from the front axle to charge the hybrid system on the move. As you’d expect, it utilises double wishbone pushrod-type suspension, and in order to help meet the target weight figure (regulations stipulate a 1030kg minimum), Ferrari has made the engine and seven speed sequential transmission both stressed members of the 499P’s chassis."

Etc.

 

[Tourbillon]

Ferrari launches new 499P Le Mans Hypercar for 2023 WEC

The new Ferrari Le Mans Hypercar that will take the Italian manufacturer back to the pinnacle of sportscar racing in next year’s World Endurance Championship has been named the 499P.

www.autosport.com

"The colour scheme in which the 499P was unveiled at Ferrari’s Finali Mondiali - the world finals for its one-make challenge series - tips its hat to the last prototype campaign mounted by the factory.

The predominantly red livery with yellow trimming is reminiscent of the lead Ferrari 312PB entered through the 1972 and ’73 World Championship for Makes seasons for Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman and Arturo Merzario among others.

Ferrari won the WCM, the forerunner of today’s WEC, with the three-litre Group 5 car in the first of those years.

One of the two 499Ps to be run under the Ferrari AF Corse banner in 2023 will carry the race number #50 to mark the half century since the marque’s withdrawal as a factory from front-line sportscar racing and its last bid for outright honours at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The second car will carry #51, a symbolic number for Ferrari in GT racing.

The four GTE Pro drivers’ titles claimed by Ferrari since the rebirth of the WEC in 2012 have all been won by the #51 entry fielded by the AF Corse factory team."

Etc.

 

[Tourbillon]

Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar Revealed

The race car draws on F1 and GT programs for Maranello’s return to top-class Le Mans racing after 50 years.

www.caranddriver.com

"Since it's an LMH type, Ferrari was able to develop its own chassis for the 499P, as opposed to the LMDh types in the same class whose chassis must come from either Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier, or Oreca. The 499P meets the class's balance of performance standards by topping out at a combined 670 horsepower, and though LMH type rules do not mandate a hybrid system like those for LMDh, it does have one. And unlike LMDh cars, the 499P is allowed to be FOUR-WHEEL drive, with an Xtrac seven-speed sequential transmission sending power from the gas engine to the rear wheels while a differential splits torque from the single ratio electric motor up front.

The 499P derives its name in the Ferrari racing tradition, referencing the displacement of its 2992-cc twin-turbocharged V-6, which shares the architecture of that found in the 296GT3 but has been reworked not only to reduce weight but to fulfill its unique role as a load-bearing piece of the 499P's structure. The electric motor at the front axle is powered by a 900-volt battery pack, charged by Ferrari's Energy Recovery System (ERS), which recharges during deceleration and braking and requires no external power source.'

Etc.

Quite an incredible machine.

 

[A.P.]

Sounds like typical Ferrari... Why play by the rules when you can get exceptions?

 

[Sunny]

Sounds like typical Ferrari... Why play by the rules when you can get exceptions?

No, that is not the case here. Rules allow for 2 different classes - LMH - which is bespoke and expensive. And LMDh - which is more spec based and cheaper (and was at least initially aimed at privateer/small teams). Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot and even Glickenhaus did the hard job of making bespoke LMH vehicles. While Porsche, BMW, Acura and Audi (now Lamborghini) took the cheap and easy way of using the spec LMDh class. No one stopped Porsche, BMW or Lamborghini from doing the hard job of making their own LMH vehicles. And they are probably banking on BoP rules to level the field.

 

[dalab]

This Ferrari goes to the same categories as the Cadillac, BMW M, Peugeot, Lamborghini, all those that were presented recently, all as equals, for Le Mans and others, correct?

 

[mini_cooper4]

Ferrari engineer: Remember... form follows function.
Ferrari designer: OK, I make form look very nice.

Italians DO care about good looks and I can appreciate that.
I will rarely see a modern race car as beautiful never mind an LM one. This... is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Merc1]

How long would a regular (rich) person have to wait for Ferrari to sell them one? How long will this car be in service and how long after could you get one?

M

 

[Matski]

This Ferrari goes to the same categories as the Cadillac, BMW M, Peugeot, Lamborghini, all those that were presented recently, all as equals, for Le Mans and others, correct?

The part that remains to be seen is the "as equals" bit.

LMH and LMDh are not the same, but they are both eligible to run in the same championships (WEC & IMSA) and both should be able to challenge for outright wins - but this is going to rely heavily on the BoP working properly - I think it's quite likely that the rules will end up favouring one category over the other.

It's also not the case that they'll all automatically run everywhere. I'm sure they'd all like a shot at Le Mans, but some manufacturers will decide to only compete in one series. I think this list from Autosport is fairly representative at the moment, and you'll notice that so far, none of the Hypercar entries are running IMSA.

As Sunny points out above, LMDh is the cheaper, more accessible option, but I'd suggest it's also fair to say that the brands that normally prioritise racing in America, have prioritised LMDh, and those that prioritise racing in Europe (specifically, getting that Le Mans win), have prioritised LMH.

In either case it's a good thing, the number of manufacturer entries in both series has been boosted so it's really in everyone's best interest for them to get the BoP right. I'd love to see Glickenhaus confirm both European and North American entries, but I'm guessing that's fairly unlikely.

 

[Tourbillon]

The part that remains to be seen is the "as equals" bit.

LMH and LMDh are not the same, but they are both eligible to run in the same championships (WEC & IMSA) and both should be able to challenge for outright wins - but this is going to rely heavily on the BoP working properly - I think it's quite likely that the rules will end up favouring one category over the other.

It's also not the case that they'll all automatically run everywhere. I'm sure they'd all like a shot at Le Mans, but some manufacturers will decide to only compete in one series. I think this list from Autosport is fairly representative at the moment, and you'll notice that so far, none of the Hypercar entries are running IMSA.

As Sunny points out above, LMDh is the cheaper, more accessible option, but I'd suggest it's also fair to say that the brands that normally prioritise racing in America, have prioritised LMDh, and those that prioritise racing in Europe (specifically, getting that Le Mans win), have prioritised LMH.

In either case it's a good thing, the number of manufacturer entries in both series has been boosted so it's really in everyone's best interest for them to get the BoP right. I'd love to see Glickenhaus confirm both European and North American entries, but I'm guessing that's fairly unlikely.

Unfortunately it is no longer a silhouette "hypercar" class. They keep chopping and changing the rules and regulations to the point where then Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer pulled the Aston Martin Valkyrie (AMR Pro?) completely out of contention. So they are not really hypercars. More "megaclass".

I was absolutely gutted because I wanted it, the Valkyrie that is screaming down the Mulsanne straight versus other production specifications hypercars.

Ah well, maybe SCG will make a road going 007 or maybe Ferrari will use the modified V6 in forthcoming Laferrari replacement. Speaking of which that latter car is DEFINITELY an all time great!

 

[WBarnes]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies