Ferrari unveils 2023 Le Mans 499P Hypercar
The car manufacturer’s first World Endurance Championship in 50 years, the four-wheel drive prototype combines innovation with tradition, featuring composites, a hybrid engine and an aerodynamic design.
Photo Credit: Ferrari
Ferrari (Maranello, Italy) has recently revealed its 499P Le Mans Hypercar (LMH), with which the car manufacturer will tackle the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) — an auto racing competition that features multiple classes of cars competing in endurance races — in the elite class. The composites-intensive hybrid vehicle combines innovation with tradition, its name “evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer.”
In defining the 499P, the company says it has drawn on the resources of technical, professional and human excellence, entrusting the management to Attività Sportive GT, under the direction of Antonello Coletta and the technical supervision of Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of the department in charge of engineering and development of sports and GT racing cars.
The Ferrari 499P prototype is built on a new carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Its bodywork, designed with aerodynamics in mind, is “sculpted from a flat surface, from which the side pods and wheelarches develop harmoniously.” The vehicle rear features a carbon fiber skin which covers various functions, leaving the wheels and suspension completely visible. The tail is characterized by a double horizontal wing, with the main wing and upper flaps designed to guarantee the necessary downforce.
The four-wheel drive prototype complies with the technical regulations and requirements of the hybrid-engined LMH class, delivering a maximum power of 500 kilowatts to the wheels, and a minimum weight of no less than 1,030 kilograms.
The geometry of a double wishbone, push-rod-type suspension is said to result in high damping stiffness, the benefits of which are evident at maximum velocity, as well as in cornering.
The braking system integrates a brake-by-wire system, necessary to enable the recovery of kinetic energy by the front electric axle under braking. According to Ferrari, the system has been developed to combine precision and speed of response with reliability and durability, complementary aspects that are one of the keys to success in endurance racing.
The electric front axle uses energy recovered while braking, storing it in the high-voltage battery before transmitting torque to the front wheels when a certain speed is attained, boosting performance.
Learn more about the hypercar here.
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