All 799 units of the R69.2m Ferrari F80 have already been sold

Ferrari on Thursday unveiled its new limited edition halo car, which incorporates features used by the Italian carmaker in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Formula 1 and has already sold out despite its $3.9m (about R69.2m) base price tag.

The hybrid butterfly-door F80 is a highlight in Ferrari's model rollout strategy aimed at keeping its wealthy customers engaged, as it prepares to launch its first and so far highly secretive purely electric car at the end of next year.

The F80 “is the car which raises the bar of our range,” chief marketing and commercial officer Enrico Galliera said during its presentation in the Ferrari hometown of Maranello. “It's a car we hope will make history in coming years.”

Ferrari's so-called supercars are top-of-the-range special models that it launches once in a decade and which embody innovative technological features.

The most recent Ferrari supercar was 2013's LaFerrari, with its open-top LaFerrari Aperta version released in 2016. The first was the GTO, launched 40 years ago.

Just 799 units of the F80 will be produced, and each has already been assigned to a specific client, with total requests at three times the planned output, Galliera said.

“We'll have to say no to people who do not expect it from us,” he said. The model will be the most expensive road car ever offered by Ferrari.

The 1,525kg F80 features a 3.0l turbocharged V6 engine boosted by three electric motors (two on the front axle, one on the rear) for a total output of 895kW. It's also equipped with a motorsports-derived CCM-R Plus brake system, state-of-the-art active suspension and ultra light 3D printed metal parts, including suspension arms. According to Ferrari, the vehicle's active aero system generates 1,000kg of downforce when travelling at 250km/h.

Inside the cabin the F80's two seats are longitudinal offset, with the driver's one slightly ahead of the passenger's one. This allows for a narrower interior with no penalty in terms of ergonomics and comfort. Ferrari has also fitted a unique steering wheel featuring a flattened top and bottom, while a smaller boss is said to improve visibility and feel.

Though new, the F80's engine is based on the same architecture of that Ferrari uses in World Endurance Championship — where it won the two last editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans — and uses Formula 1 technologies.

Ferrari said the F80 will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.15 seconds and 0-200km/h in 5.75 seconds — quicker than the new McLaren W1. It has a top speed of 350km/h. 

Deliveries of the F80 will start in the fourth quarter of next year, with production expected to run until late 2027, the year of Ferrari's 80th anniversary.