Ferrari Enzo successor within a year

SELECTED potential customers will see the successor to Ferrari’s limited-run Enzo hypercar in a private showing before the end of this year, according to overseas reports.

At the recent Geneva motor show, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo told Automotive News Europe about the private showing and said the company wants to “surprise people not just in terms of price but also with the car itself”.

The magazine also quoted a Ferrari spokesman as saying the new Ferrari flagship will either make its first public appearance at the 2013 Detroit motor show in January or at next year’s Geneva show.

Little is known about the Enzo replacement, dubbed F70, other than it will be the fastest and most powerful road car in the Prancing Horse’s history, a title recently claimed by the new F12 Berlinetta that was unveiled at Geneva this month.

Left: Ferrari 599 Hy-KERS concept.

Like its predecessor, the new car is expected to be produced in strictly limited numbers, have a lightweight carbon-fibre body and be motivated by a naturally aspirated V12 petrol engine – but it is unlikely to carry the Enzo nameplate.

However, the V12 that will be fitted to the Enzo successor is said to produce even more power and torque than the F12’s astonishing 544kW/690Nm 6.3-litre unit and could even be supplemented by a mild-hybrid drive system like that fitted to the 599 Hy-KERS concept shown at the 2010 Geneva show.

Ferrari’s Hy-KERS system (standing for hybrid kinetic energy recovery system) is based on technology developed for Formula 1 and is said to maintain a car’s weight distribution while lowering its centre of gravity and comes with a modest 80kg weight penalty that is offset by the power increase.

Like previous limited-run flagship Ferraris, the Enzo replacement will built in left-hand drive only, meaning it will not be officially sold here.

However, at the recent Ferrari 458 Spider launch in Melbourne, an Enzo, two F40s and an F50 were present, proving it is possible to get these cars into the country, although registering them for regular road use is difficult if not impossible.

Mr Montezemolo has said Ferrari expects to sell more than 7000 vehicles this year. Its 2011 result of 7195 deliveries was up 9.5 per cent on 2010, including 135 in Australia (up 6.3 per cent).

Ferrari’s €312.4 million ($A388.7 million) trading profit in 2011 was up 3.2 per cent and Mr Montezemolo said the company expects to keep improving profitability over the coming years.