SF90 XX is the most powerful Ferrari road car ever made

And that’d be the standout feature, if not for the rest of the SF90 XX becoming so aggressive. There’s a bit of LaFerrari in the nose, with the ‘hanging’ elements of the splitter, while a larger splitter overall contributes 45kg on its own to the increase in downforce. New also are S-ducts, which you can spot the exit vents of on the hood thanks to distinctive colour-coding matching the central snout inlet. There are echoes of the F12 TdF in the wheel arch cuts, that evacuate turbulent air from the wheel wells like a Le Mans racer. Those ducts along with the new splitter and louvres help contribute to the front alone developing 325kg of downforce at top speed.

Along with that wing – itself flanked by duct venting – the biggest changes are at the rear. Gone are the quad rear lamps, with a width-spanning 499P-style light bar taking their place and sitting below a lower bodywork wing element. Honestly, the whole thing looks very 499P at the rear, which is pretty cool in itself. All in, the first-ever road-going XX-badged Ferrari produces 530kg of downforce at 155mph which, for context, is 140kg up compared to the more elegant standard car.

Okay, what about performance? Power is up, if only a little, but enough to get the SF90 XX ahead of the new Lamborghini Revuelto. Total system output – combining the three electric motors and a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 – is 1,015PS (746kW). As with the normal SF90, two motors straddle the front axle giving it all-wheel-drive and controling torque bias, while a single motor works with the V8 at the rear. The SF90 XX will get from 0-62mph in 2.3 seconds and 124mph in 6.5 seconds. There aren’t figures given yet for the top speed. Available now in the XX is the ‘extra boost’ function, which in the car’s qualifying mode will drain the 8kWh battery to deliver a brief punch of added acceleration, traction permitting.

In terms of improved handling, the XX features revised damping that allows a ten per cent reduction in body roll. What hasn’t changed is that it’s a bit of a chunky car, with the XX Stradale weighing just 10kg less than the standard car, at 1,560kg ‘dry’. The cars will come standard on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, with the more hardcore Cup R tyre available as an option for more track-minded buyers. 

What is still faintly incredible to us about the standard SF90 and Spider is that they’re full, non-limited production cars. The same as you might expect, is not the case for the SF90 XX. Just 799 coupes and 599 Spiders are to be made. Unlike the other XX-badged Ferraris, each SF90 XX is set to cost less than £1million, so in a manner of speaking, it’s a bit of a bargain…

What do you think of the new Ferrari SF90 XX? Could this be the ultimate Ferrari track car, or is it a bit of a stop-gap before the LaFerrari successor, born in the image of the 499P Le Mans winner, is revealed? Let us know your thoughts.