Power and Glory

The Enzo Ferrari has the engine in a compartment behind the driver -- the mid-engine design that is almost universal among high-performance supercars.


Photo courtesy Ferrari SpA
The Enzo features a mid-engine design.

The engine itself, which was designed specifically for this car, is a 366-cubic-inch (6.0 liter), aluminum-block V-12, with four valves per cylinder. It cranks out 660 horsepower at 7,800 RPM, and goes from zero to 100 mph (161 kph) in 6.6 seconds. The top speed is estimated at 217 mph, a speed few owners will ever reach. With a compression ratio of 11.2:1, the Enzo needs some high-octane fuel to run properly -- just another symptom of its F1 heritage. A dry-sump lubrication system keeps everything running smoothly.


Photo courtesy Ferrari SpA
The Enzo features a 6.0-liter, V-12 engine

Despite stripping away many of the comforts associated with luxury cars (the Enzo has no radio), the Enzo is not the lightest car in the world. Its curb weight of 3,009 pounds (1,365 kg) gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 4.56 pounds per horsepower (or .219 horsepower per pound). Here are the power-to-weight ratios* of some of the top supercars so you can see where the Enzo fits in:

*Stats calculated from info at http://www.supercarstats.com

The six-speed transmission is considered manual-only -- no automatic transmission is available. However, many enthusiasts argue that in order to be considered manual, a car must have a foot clutch. Since it doesn't have one, these people prefer to call the Enzo’s transmission "sequential," or SM (sequential-manual). The term "semi-automatic" is also used.

Almost all of the controls are on the F1-style steering wheel, including the shifting paddles. A series of LEDs on the wheel lets the driver know when the RPMs are high enough to shift, which can be done without removing a hand from the wheel. Other buttons control the selection of gear modes (Sport or Race mode) and a traction control system that can be deactivated.


Photo courtesy Ferrari SpA

All that power gets the Enzo from point A to point B very quickly, but European supercars aren't built to go in a straight line. Next, we'll look at how the Enzo handles.

Ferrari Heritage


Photo courtesy Ferrari SpA
Much of what Ferrari does is based on tradition. Here are the stories behind a few of those traditions.

The prancing stallion - Ferrari's famous emblem of a prancing stallion on a yellow background comes from Enzo Ferrari himself. He explains:

    The horse was painted on the fuselage of the fighter plane flown by Francesco Baracca, a heroic Italian pilot who died on Mount Montello: the Italian ace of aces of the First World War. In 1923 ... I met Count Enrico Baracca, the pilot's father, and subsequently his mother, Countess Paolina. One day she said to me, "Ferrari, why don't you put my son's prancing horse on your cars; it would bring you luck." ... The horse was black and has remained so; I added the canary yellow background because it is the colour of Modena.

Ferrari red - Ferrari's Formula One cars have traditionally been red. This stems from the early days of international racing in Europe. The sport's governing body assigned a color to each nation, and Italy was given red. Today, even road Ferraris seem to come mainly in red, but Ferrari reports that this is a modern phenomenon. In the '60s and '70s, other colors were quite common.

Scuderia Ferrari - This is the name of Ferrari's racing division, and was the name of the original racing club Enzo Ferrari formed in 1929. Scuderia Ferrari is Italian for "Ferrari Stable," though the name is also translated as "Team Ferrari."