It may have a silly name but there’s nothing silly about the new LaFerrari hybrid supercar that made its world debut earlier today at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The car is the newest flagship from Ferrari [NYSE:F] and joins the rarefied list of the automaker’s "special series" cars that includes the likes of the Enzo, F50, F40 and 288 GTO.
These are the first live photos of the LaFerrari, taken at its debut in Geneva. Images fail to capture the presence of the new car, whose design shows a clear evolution of the lines of the previous Enzo but at the same time remain unique.
The car’s design team, led by Italian designer Flavio Manzoni, developed the LaFerrari’s styling in close synergy with the engineers to emphasize the exacting link between form and function. The result is an extreme, innovative design which retains close links to the marque’s racing tradition.
This is most evident in its side profile: the car has a sharp, downward-sloping nose and a very low hood, which emphasizes its muscular wheel arches and also gives a clear nod to Ferrari’s Formula One race cars. It almost looks as though an F1 race car is enclosed within the LaFerrari.
Inside, there’s a newly-designed steering wheel sporting all the major commands, and the gear-shift paddles are now longer and more ergonomic. The signature bridge on which the car’s dual-clutch gearbox functions are clustered has taken on a sleek, suspended wing-like shape.
As previously reported, the LaFerrari is powered by a hybrid system that features a 6.3-liter V-12 engine paired with two electric motors. Known as HY-KERS, the system delivers 950 horsepower and “more than” 660 pound-feet of torque.
Look for the LaFerrari to post a 0-60 time of less than 3.0 seconds and a top speed in excess of 217 mph. We already know that it will lap Ferrari’s Fiorano race track in less than 1:20, which is 5.0 seconds faster than the Enzo and 3.0 seconds faster than the F12 Berlinetta. Learn why the LaFerrari is so impressively fast in the videos below.
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