Building The Ferrari LaFerrari

The Ferrari LaFerrari hybrid supercar is being hand-built in an assembly hall on the Ferrari campus in Maranello, Italy, that is usually used to construct Formula 1 prototype racing cars. Given the amount of F1-derived technologies and materials used in LaFerrari, this seems entirely appropriate.

By the time we visited the LaFerrari hall, on April 28, 2014, LaFerrari had been in production for some five months. The entire production run will total only 499 cars, of which 120 are designated for U.S. customers, and if that doesn’t seem like many, Franco Cimatti, the MIT-educated engineer who’s in charge of vehicle concepts and pre-development at Ferrari, reminds us that Ferrari built only 349 F50 supercars and only 399 examples of the famed Ferrari Enzo. Why only 499 LaFerraris, rather than 500? we ask. “The ‘9’ is to underline the fact that Enzo Ferrari used to say that we should always build one fewer car than the market will bear,” says Cimatti. And with only about one LaFerrari being completed on average per work day, “499 cars works out to about two and a half years. After that, LaFerrari is too old for such a special car.”

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the steps involved in building each car.

Dramatic winged LaFerrari hybrid supercars are almost ready to leave the production line.Ferrari technicians at work on the V-12 hybrid powertrain.Underbody of carbon fiber chassis is coated with Kevlar to help protect hybrid components from road debris.The entire carbon fiber body structure weighs only 176 lb.Seeing red? Even the hydraulic lifts to support the chassis are painted red.Red padding and blue plastic protect that chassis from nicks and dings through the production process.Red is the classic Ferrari color, sure, but this LaFerrari in silver and black looks great.The front end of LaFerrari, before the aerodynamically optimized splitter and hood are installed.Not a single wasted millimeter, we were told by Ferrari engineers. No kidding: look at the powertrain components packed into the rear of LaFerrari. Silver-colored electric inverters (nestled between pieces of protective red fabric) lead to the heart of the beast, the 6.3-liter V-12.Road-going automobile or flying red spaceship? You decide.Road-going automobile or flying red spaceship? You decide.Doors and lids that stay open to facilitate production also create a stunning factory still-life.At the very rear of its chassis, aft of the V-12 engine and the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, resides the LaFerrari traction/generator electric motor, here with three orange power cables that will be attached to electric inverters.And here are the electric inverters, which reside, somewhat inelegantly, on top of the dual-clutch transmission.You’ve gotta love the temporary wheels that adhere to classic Ferrari five-spoke design while carrying the LaFerrari chassis down the assembly line.In a side room, various LaFerrari body pieces wait to be attached to a chassis.Giant carbon-ceramic brake rotors by Brembo are standard.Even the exhaust components are metallurgical works of art.Direct rear view of the LaFerrari carbon fiber chassis as it is prepared to be married to the V-12 hybrid powertrain.Bright yellow sleeves protect the brake components as the chassis moves down the line. F-150 refers to the internal code name for the LaFerrari project. Yes, everyone at Ferrari is well aware that this is also the name of the bestselling vehicle in America, a Ford pickup, and they all joke about it.Suspension porn, anyone?Exhaust components await installation.The V-12 engine is there, the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is there, and the electric motor is there, waiting expectantly for the electric inverters to be attached to its orange cables.