Ferrari between past and future 

A tribute to the past, a manifesto to the future, a car designed by the wind with simple and sinuous lines, new hybrid power, a totally Ferrari project. The Prancing Horse unveils a preview of the Le Mans Hypercar, with which it will return next season to the premier class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, after a hiatus of 50 years. 

Ferrari 499P will make its debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in 2023. 

Both its name and livery, with lots of yellow, are a tribute to the tradition of the luxury sports car manufacturer in the endurance world. Yellow is the color of Modena, the letter P identified Maranello prototypes in the past, and 499 is the number of the unitary displacement of the engine. 

A car that is proudly rooted in the past—where the legend was born that won 22 world titles and 9 overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans—and that anticipates the future with its technical innovation and design. 

Presented at the Imola racetrack for the 2022 Ferrari World Final, the new 499P reconnects to 50 years of history after the 312 PB’s last race in the endurance world championship premiere class. To mark the occasion, the Maranello-based company will participate with car numbers 50 and 51, the latter being among the most winning numbers ever. 

Four-wheel drive, 6-cylinder twin-turbo engine and electric motor develop a power of 500 kW (680 horsepower). The powertrain is combined with a seven-speed sequential gearbox. 

Elkann: Returning to compete for overall victory in the endurance world championship 

According to Ferrari Executive Chairman John Elkann, “The 499P allows us to compete again for overall victory in the endurance world championship. When we decided to go ahead with this project of innovation and development, we kept true to our tradition of experimenting with cutting-edge technical solutions using the racetrack as the ideal terrain before transferring these solutions to our road cars.” “We faced this challenge with humility, while aware of our history, as we won over than 20 world titles and 9 overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Elkann added. 

Head of Ferrari Sporting Activities GT Antonello Coletta called it a “very exciting project.” “We haven’t stopped working since the moment it was approved two years ago. It is a beautiful tribute to the past and a manifesto to the future. The 499P is a dream come true, a unique Ferrari prototype. You get to build a hypercar from scratch,” Coletta said, adding that “all company departments were involved, about a hundred people. We also collaborated with AF Corse. We have ambitious goals, but we also have the humility to recognize that our opponents are more experienced.” 

Head of Ferrari GT Track Car Development Ferdinando Cannizzo said that “it is very important to share the result of our work; we have run many tests on the track, bench tests, and driving simulations. We just keep plugging at it; we still have a little bit to go, but we know how important this project is and will stay committed with great professionalism. It is an unprecedented challenge; starting from scratch gave us unique and continuous motivations to find effective solutions. Now we have accumulated more than 12 thousand kilometers on the car; we still need to do the synthesis work, which I would say is the most important for the development and final integration of all the systems.” 

In conclusion, Cannizzo added that “this car is a combination of technology, aerodynamics, performance, and design. At the beginning, we focused exclusively on the design to achieve performance and a recognizable Ferrari look. The cockpit was developed with the same philosophy used for racing cars of having all the controls as close as possible to the driver's hands.”