The presentation of the new LaFerrari Aperta marked the company's 70th anniversary.
During an interview a few months back, Sergio Marchionne, the Ferrari CEO, confirmed the existence of an open-top model of the company's hybrid hypercar. However, it is only now that the model named Aperta, meaning Open in Italian, has been officially announced.
We cannot be surprised by the elegance and sophistication of the new model.
"Contrary to what some of my colleagues believe, we are not in the mobility business. We don't move people around. There was a time when everyone started buying rental car companies because we thought that was an easy sales channel. For similar reasons, we were in the finance business. But at the end of the day, we are only building the tools that allow people to be mobile. I don't want to buy into the distribution machine like GM did by paying $500 million for a 10-percent stake in Lyft," Marchionne said in the interview.
The target of LaFerrari Aperta is made of people who "refuse to compromise on the joy of al fresco driving," as the official position states. Under its perfect skin, the car uses a mid-mounted 6.3-litre V12 engine as well as the KERS system, just as a coupe, and it produces 950bhp.
"Significant and extensive modifications have been made to the chassis with the aim of retaining the same torsional rigidity and beam stiffness as the coupé version. The car's aerodynamics have also been further honed to guarantee the same drag coefficient even without the roof," revealed Ferrari's official website.
The performance figures are unchanged, with a top speed higher than 220mph and a 0-62mph time of less than 3 seconds. The car's practicality, however, doesn't stop here. It's a result of the company's long term vision on technology.
"My approach is to be completely open to technology. I think the next paradigm of this business is a paradigm that involves the cooperation for technology with the disruptors. Google is one. Apple is another, even Uber. It's all about access to the complete information on what people do in the car. That's when the consumer has time on hand and the business case blossoms.", added Marchionne.
The Aperta hypercar shown in Paris features deep black paint, with red pinstripes. Very well harmonized, the color scheme is integrated on the inside of the car, as well, with an all-black interior with red accents on the seats.
