Fiorano. The word, let alone the actual place, bursts with visions of Michael Schumacher obsessively knocking off lap after lap of Formula 1 testing; of Ferrari 288 GTO and F40 prototypes finessing the ragged edges of their track chops; of Big Ideas pressure-tested under il Commendatore‘s watchful gaze before he spirited away to the great paddock in the sky in 1988. If old man Enzo could today magically materialize and size up the new, staggeringly special Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano, the $567,490 (to start) wedge would probably trigger a cascade of questions.
For instance, why is the mighty LaFerrari‘s spiritual successor not production-limited like Maranello’s past halo cars? Should a hypercar from the Prancing Horse send its power—some of it electric, as it is a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle—to all four wheels? And how on god’s green earth does this latest range-topper deserve the “Assetto Fiorano” moniker if it can also slice silently through traffic in full-electric mode (and do so for up to 15.5 miles)? Pardon the presumed reincarnation, but the prism of Fiorano—Ferrari’s famous test track, built in 1972—makes this 21st-century flagship a 986-hp riddle wrapped in a COVID-19 conundrum. For the full story, check out this article from Motor Trend.
