(By Tom Lohnes) – Ferrari is possibly the most well-known manufacturer of vehicles on the planet. Sure, some of their cars over the years have been less than good, but they’re still highly valuable, just because of the horse on the fender. Even today, they routinely sell $400,000+ vehicles purely based on the badge they wear. With today’s climate of SUVs taking up over 70% of total American automobile sales, Ferrari had an idea. Slap a prancing horse on it!
Obviously, any boutique manufacturer like this making an SUV is a cash grab. But, some do cash grabs better than the other. Take the Lamborghini Urus for example: Look past the aggressive styling and ritzy interior, and you have an Audi RSQ8 with a Gucci belt on. Even smaller companies like Lotus with their Eletre, you can kind of see some corners cut to maximize profits. But Ferrari? They are doing it differently. The so-called “Purosangue” (Italian for pure-bred) may just live up to its name. Why? It has possibly the best engine of the 21st century under the hood.
Today, Ferrari themselves confirmed that some versions of the Purosangue will pack the same 6.5-liter, 48-valve V12 that is found in the 812 Superfast. What is so special about this engine, you may ask? Well, all 6.5 liters and 800-something naturally aspirated horsepower this engine makes can spin to 9,000 RPM without touching the redline. Plus, it sounds absolutely amazing. This powerplant alone puts the soul of a Ferrari into an SUV, whereas the Lamborghini Urus really doesn’t have that. This thing really is something special.
Ferrari still has some developmental time until they fully unveil their SUV, but expect a debut towards the end of this year, with sales beginning in mid 2023. Pricing for the base version should start around $200,000, but expect quite a bit more money to be asked for the one you want, the 12-cylinder version.
That front 3/4 view is fugly. BMW designers must have done a covert op on the nose. Either that or it’s a secret contest amongst manufacturers to see who can create the worst appearing vehicle.