Must of us know that the "Aperta" will come. Is it fix now how much of this rare car Ferrari will produce? 10, 20 or 50? Heart every number during the last half year.
If eventually this is true and they are going to make it, i believe number 20 is a really good, limited edition number. I would say a strictly limited edition.
it's been 2 years since LaF came out. Isn't typical for Ferrari to come out with convertible version less than 1 year of hardtop?
What is not typical of Ferrari is releasing an open top version of their hypercars. Notable exception was the F50, but it was designed as such to begin with. I don't believe there will be a LF Spider.
my wishful thinking is that this should not be a open top version of a previous design. for the 70th anniversary model it should be a v12 mid engine car just like lafe but more limited.
Based on which platform? The LF has an enclosed monocoque and there is no mid-rear chassis capable of housing a V12 in the rest of the line-up. Also the LF is supposed to be the pinnacle and we know that these come along every decade or so.
Could be based on the same platform that the replacement for the California will be the first to get. This platform will be used as the basis for all future regular production Ferrari models.
So it would be a super special model based on the mundane platform of the entry level models? A return of the Testarossa based on that aluminium platform seems more likely. Such a regular production mid engine F12 replacement would make more sense.
More of a question of timing and the older carbon technology would fit the time line better. With the 2017 time line for a California replacement built on the new aluminum spaceframe it is probably more likely that the LaFerrari carbon platform will be used for the Aperta version. Then the LaSettanta as I call it will be built as the 70th Anniversary model also on the carbon platform. Also the mundane platform idea is old thinking. All future production but not Special Project Ferrari models will be built on the one new aluminum spaceframe platform. This platform can accommodate six eight and twelve cylinder power and the engine can be mounted ahead of or behind the driver.
You seem to disregard the fact that the LF has its roof as a structural component. It would need a new carbon fiber chassis if it were to be decapitated. This kind of engineering effort is made once in a decade by Ferrari. As for a mid-rear V12 with an aluminium chassis... Well that's not the subject of this topic.
but if they didn't use the battery power feature they would gain back a lot of weight availability to improve the structural rigidity of the carbon structure. Do you know if the 'Aperta' idea was a consideration of the original carbon design? That would have an effect on how much effort would be needed to engineer the open version...
As we all know, the original briefing called for an ultra high-tech carbon tub that used F1-grade composites. A closed-cockpit design was chosen, designed and engineered. To make an open top version of that would require redesigning and re-engineering the chassis of a limited production carbon hypercar; an investment that Ferrari makes once every decade or so. It just doesn't make sense financially. Also, since a closed-cockpit was deemed the best solution for the halo model (for stiffness and aero purposes), it would be a backwards step to make an open-top version of that, compromising the whole project in the process.
Just because Ferrari didn't announce an open top version in their original briefing doesn't mean they didn't have plans for it. They could have kept it a secret. Did they announce the FXX K at that briefing. When the 458 was first announced did they also announce the spyder and speciale versions as well. Is it possible that they designed the LaFerrari from the beginning as an open top model first and then filled in the design as a hard top. That way the engineering is done for the Aperta and adding in the top to complete the closed cockpit is just another step in the design process. Then they sell the hard top version first before going back a step in the design process and sell the Aperta at an inflated price. Seems like there is not a lot of top available to take off anyway and would be more of a targa type opening leaving most of the structural design to whatever happens just behind the driver.
Cutting the top does not render the car useless. The 458 Italia torsional rigidity is 33,120 NM/deg and the Spider drops to 23,184 NM/deg. As a more accurate comparison the F50 was 34,600 NM/deg. There are at least 4 different kinds of carbon used in the LaFerrari design. These specifications of carbon multi-materials could be changed to good effect for better numbers. All done with the input again of Rory Byrne who knew a thing or two about 'open cars' as well. The LaFerrari improved on the Enzo torsional rigidity by at least 25% so giving that partly back for an open version would not be a total failure. The door cut outs in the image show a lot of the 'roof' is already missing. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I could see them offering a carbon roof panel similar to what they did later on for the 599 Aperta model. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Jeebers folks, the LaF is a 2-piece carbon structure, primary stiffness is in the tub, the roof structure roll over duties. it is easily adaptable, prob not surprising as developed this way from the get go.
