The Ferrari SF90 Stradale marks a turning point in the history of Maranello’s road cars. As the brand’s first series-production plug-in hybrid, the SF90 Stradale fuses a twin-turbocharged V8 with three electric motors to deliver a combined output that had never before been seen on a Ferrari street car. Named after the Scuderia’s Formula One challenger and honoring the 90th anniversary of Ferrari’s racing division, the SF90 Stradale (“Stradale” meaning “made for the road” in Italian) represents the technical foundation for the next generation of Ferrari performance.
Design Philosophy: Where Aerodynamics Meets Heritage
Ferrari’s design team, led by Flavio Manzoni under the Ferrari Styling Centre, built the SF90 Stradale around aggressive aerodynamic requirements rather than styling alone. The manufacturer claims the car generates 390 kg (860 lb) of downforce at 250 km/h (155 mph), a figure achieved through new discoveries in aero and thermal management rather than incremental tweaks.
The standout feature is a twin-part rear wing that borrows directly from Formula One’s Drag Reduction System (DRS). A fixed section houses the taillights, while movable “shut-off Gurney” flaps use electric actuators to blend into the bodywork and maximize downforce when needed. At the front, an evolution of Ferrari’s vortex generators channels airflow more efficiently than on previous models.
To accommodate the hybrid powertrain’s cooling demands and make full use of the new aero components, Ferrari adopted a cab-forward silhouette. Classic design cues remain, however — the flying buttresses at the rear are unmistakably Ferrari, and the low-slung engine cover maximizes airflow over the rear deck. Manzoni himself has described the SF90 Stradale’s design as sitting somewhere between a spaceship and a race car, with side-profile lines that echo the legendary 330 P3/4 from the 1960s.
Hybrid Powertrain and Driving Modes
At the heart of the SF90 Stradale is a plug-in hybrid system built around a 7.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, which also enables regenerative braking and provides up to 26 km (16 miles) of pure electric range. Drivers select between four operating modes using the eManettino dial on the steering wheel:
- eDrive – runs exclusively on electric power for zero-emission driving
- Hybrid – the default mode, blending combustion and electric power while the onboard control logic shuts off the engine when conditions allow, restarting it instantly when needed
- Performance – keeps the combustion engine running to recharge the battery and stay ready for maximum response
- Qualify – unleashes the full potential of the hybrid powertrain for peak performance
Managing all of this is a control logic system built around three pillars: the high-voltage battery controls, the RAC-e (Rotation Axis Control-electric) torque-vectoring system, and the integration of the electric motor with the engine and gearbox.
Engine, Electric Motors, and Transmission
The SF90 Stradale pairs a 4.0-liter (3,990 cc) twin-turbocharged V8 — codenamed F154 FA — with three electric motors. One motor sits on the transmission, while the other two power the front wheels independently, enabling torque vectoring and doubling as the car’s reverse gear, since the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission has no reverse gear of its own.
Combined output reaches 735 kW (1,000 PS; 986 hp) from the V8 alone at 7,500 rpm, with the three electric motors contributing an additional 162 kW (220 PS; 217 hp). Peak torque from the combustion engine stands at 800 N·m (590 lb-ft) at 6,000 rpm.
This V8 is an evolution of the engine found in the 488 Pista and F8 Tributo, but with a larger 88 mm (3.46 in) cylinder bore, redesigned intake and exhaust systems, narrower cylinder heads, and central fuel injectors operating at 35 MPa (5,100 psi). Engineers mounted the engine 50 mm (2.0 in) lower in the chassis than in other mid-engine Ferrari V8 models to lower the center of gravity, while a lighter flywheel and an Inconel exhaust manifold shave additional weight.
Power reaches the road through a new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that is 10 kg (22 lb) lighter and more compact than Ferrari’s previous 7-speed unit — partly thanks to the absence of a dedicated reverse gear — and shifts 30% faster, completing gear changes in just 200 milliseconds.
Chassis, Cockpit Technology, and Handling Systems
The SF90 Stradale’s chassis combines aluminum and carbon fiber to boost structural rigidity while supporting the added mass of the hybrid system. Dry weight comes in at 1,570 kg (3,461 lb), which includes 270 kg (595 lb) attributable to the electric components.
Inside, a curved 410 mm (16 in) digital display sits behind the steering wheel, feeding the driver real-time performance data, while a reconfigurable head-up display adapts automatically based on the selected drive mode. The steering wheel itself, carried over from the F8 Tributo, integrates capacitive touch controls alongside traditional switches and paddles. Ferrari also engineered the cabin acoustics to pipe engine sound through to the driver for a more immersive experience.
Two electronic systems underpin the car’s dynamic handling: eSSC (electric Side Slip Control), which manages torque distribution across all four wheels, and eTC (electric Traction Control), a brake-by-wire system that blends conventional hydraulic braking with electric motor input for precise regenerative braking and torque vectoring.
Performance Figures
Ferrari quotes a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint of just 2.5 seconds, with 0-200 km/h (124 mph) arriving in 6.7 seconds, and a top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph). On Ferrari’s own Fiorano test circuit, the SF90 Stradale was, as of 2020, the fastest road car the company had ever produced — seven tenths of a second quicker than the flagship hybrid hypercar LaFerrari.
SF90 Spider: The Open-Top Hybrid Hypercar
Ferrari also offers the SF90 as the Spider, an open-top variant with a retractable hardtop — the first plug-in hybrid convertible in Ferrari’s history. With the same combined 735 kW (1,000 PS; 986 hp) output as the coupe, the SF90 Spider is the most powerful non-limited-edition convertible in the world, surpassing the previous record held by the Ferrari 812 GTS. Performance figures stay close to the closed-roof Stradale and are comparable to the limited-run LaFerrari Aperta.
Assetto Fiorano Package
For buyers chasing a sharper track focus, Ferrari offers the Assetto Fiorano package for both the Stradale and Spider. It adds racing-derived Multimatic shock absorbers, lightweight carbon fiber components in the doors and underbody, a titanium exhaust system, and carbon fiber wheels — trimming roughly 30 kg (66 lb) from the standard car’s weight.
SF90 XX Stradale and Spider: A Track-Focused Evolution
Building on the SF90 platform, Ferrari introduced the SF90 XX Stradale and XX Spider as track-oriented variants. Unlike Ferrari’s track-only XX programs of the past — the FXX, 599XX, and FXX-K — the SF90 XX remains fully road-legal despite its racing-focused engineering, and Ferrari positions it as one of the most aerodynamically efficient road cars the brand has ever built.
The hybrid powertrain in the XX variants pushes output even further, to 758 kW (1,030 PS; 1,016 hp) and more than 804 N·m (593 lb-ft) of torque, with the V8 contributing 586 kW (797 PS; 786 hp) and the electric motor adding 171 kW (233 PS; 230 hp). Production is strictly limited: Ferrari will build only 799 units of the XX Stradale and 599 units of the XX Spider, with every allocation already spoken for by customers.
Final Verdict
The Ferrari SF90 Stradale isn’t just Maranello’s most powerful road car to date — it’s a statement about where Ferrari’s engineering is headed. By combining a race-bred V8 with a sophisticated three-motor hybrid system, aggressive Formula One-inspired aerodynamics, and cutting-edge chassis technology, Ferrari has created a car that outperforms even the LaFerrari on its home circuit while remaining usable as genuine daily transportation in electric-only mode. For enthusiasts tracking the evolution of hybrid supercars, the SF90 Stradale and its XX-badged successors set a benchmark that few rivals can match.
Have you had the chance to see or drive the SF90 Stradale? Share your thoughts on Ferrari’s hybrid hypercar in the comments, and explore our other in-depth Ferrari reviews for more on the marque’s latest performance models.
References
- Ferrari S.p.A. (2019). SF90 Stradale Technical Specifications. Ferrari.com.
- Ferrari S.p.A. (2019). SF90 Stradale Press Kit. Ferrari Media Center.
- Ferrari S.p.A. (2020). SF90 Spider Official Announcement. Ferrari.com.
- Ferrari S.p.A. (2023). SF90 XX Stradale and XX Spider Launch. Ferrari Media Center.