Here’s why the Ferrari F80 almost became a single-seater

The eagerly-anticipated Ferrari F80 hypercar debuted earlier this year – but did you know it was very nearly launched as a single-seater?

The long-awaited successor to the LaFerrari was unveiled earlier this month. 

Images shared by Ferrari showcase the car’s stunning looks, and a quick glance at the interiors reveals the F80 has room inside for a driver plus passenger.

But early plans for the car had revolved around a single-seater ‘pilot’ design. 

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The Ferrari F80 was initially conceived as a single-seater

The Ferrari F80 will be a halo car for the luxury marque. 

Ferrari has revealed it will produce just 799 units, meaning the new hypercar will be as rare as it is beautiful. 

Practically and spiritually, the new Ferrari is the successor of the LaFerrari.

And with such big shoes to fill, Ferrari wanted to ensure that every single detail of the F80 was just right. 

This included ensuring the car had ‘really extreme proportions’, according to Ferrari design boss Flavio Manzoni 

“When we started the project, the idea had come out initially that this car should be a single seater,” Manzoni told Top Gear. 

“Why? Because we wanted to make it have really extreme proportions, so a very narrow cabin, shoulders as wide as possible, a wide track, and so on.

“Clearly this was a provocation, but by working together we managed to achieve the effect of a real single-seater, while not giving up the passenger space.”

Smart stuff, right?

The hypercar doesn’t have the ‘iconic’ V12

In an interesting move from Ferrari, the automaker also opted to swap out the fan-favorite V12 engine for the F80 and replace it with a hybrid powertrain that includes a V6 and a set of electric motors.

The decision to shun the V12 caused a bit of a stir, but Ferrari has since explained its reasoning. 

“We asked the question of whether we were going to use the most iconic engine or the highest performing and decided to take the highest performer,” Ferrari marketing chief Enrico Galleiera told Auto Express.

“This is something that we have always done with our supercars, to use the most high-performing option available at the time; just look at the F40 and its twin-turbocharged V8.”

So in this instance, rather than stick with the ‘iconic’ V12, it’s gone for the ‘higher performing’ V6. 

And the numbers don’t lie, with the new hybrid powertrain clearly out-performing the V12. 

The 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 alone sends out 888 horsepower and 627lb-ft of torque.

Paired with the three electric motors, the F80 can a whopping 1,184hp – more than enough to keep even the most ardent of gearheads happy.