Main innovations from Ferrari over the past 20 years
1997: F355 - first car with F1 electronically-actuated gear change with steering wheel mounted paddles1999: 360 Modena – first car with a chassis and bodywork made entirely from aluminium
2002: Enzo Ferrari – first road car with Carbon Ceramic Brakes and active aerodynamics
2004: F430 – first car with electronic differential (E-Diff)
2006: 599 GTB Fiorano – first car with traction control (F1-Trac)
2008: Ferrari California – first car with F1 dual-clutch gear change with steering wheel mounted paddles
Noble materials: aluminium and composites
In the last few years research has concentrated on weight reduction, a sector where know-how relating to the materials used is vital. Since 1999, Ferrari has made road cars with chassis and bodywork made 100% from aluminium which offers high performance characteristics (being light and rigid), a better relationship of time/cost for production on a large scale and, at the same time, has the advantage of ease of maintenance. This latter characteristic is particularly important in the case of cars that are used a lot and with high annual mileages. The Carrozzeria Scaglietti facility specialises in working with aluminium and has developed over 25 different alloys - some of which have been used for the first time in the automotive industry - which have produced a significant reduction in weight, thus improving performance and safety.
In the case of the special limited-edition LaFerrari, produced in small numbers with only 499 being built, the choice reverted to hand-laminated carbon fibre; the chassis uses the same four different types of composite found in Formula 1, following identical design and production methods, and is made in the same production area. That has allowed the design to be optimised, integrating the various functions (eg. the seats and the battery compartment) to make the chassis as rigid as possible while also keeping the weight down.