Ferrari’s latest convertible, the ravishing LaFerrari Aperta, has been officially unveiled at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, dropping our jaws with a removable soft top or an optional carbon fiber hard top, plus some impressive performance figures.
As you could probably imagine, developing a convertible version of a hypercar is quite a difficult task, especially if you’re dealing with a 949-hp hybrid that’s capable of going from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in under 3 seconds. But of course, the brilliant designers from Ferrari managed to pull it off, focusing a lot on this supercar’s chassis and aerodynamics.
The company reinforced the lower part of the chassis to make sure a roof-less structure will not affect the unique driving experience provided by the LaFerrari, and promises we’ll have the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness as the coupe model on the Aperta; even better, the butterfly door design remains virtually unchanged.
Ferrari’s engineering team went on to give the LaFerrari Aperta the same drag figure as the coupé, open-roof or not – which is impressive, to say the least. Two L-shaped flaps at the top corners of the windshield help reduce drag when the roof panel is off, while an angled wind stop on the parcel shelf diverts airflow keeping the driver and passenger comfortable and their talks quiet even at high speeds. The Italians have also re-angled the radiators, redirecting the hot airflow under the body instead of it going over the top of the hood.
As the regular LaFerrari (if you could call this hypercar like that), the Aperta is powered by a 789-hp 6.3-liter V12, working alongside a 160-hp electric motor and a seven-speed DCT. The eight-module battery pack relies on the KERS system to recharge its power during braking and when the powerful V12 is creating more torque than needed.
Subtle model-specific graphic accents dress the exterior of the LaFerrari Aperta, while the seats have been upholstered in a new blend of leather and Starlite Alcantara. Ferrari’s new convertible hypercar will be produced in a very limited edition, with just 209 examples planned, all of them being already sold out even before we’ve heard of it, back in July.
