Ferrari F80 review

There’s something Countach-like about it. The surly shoulders and the hard lines where you might expect curves. There’s no fat anywhere… except the mirrors. Apparently regulations mean mirrors are hideously complicated to develop, probably the only reason those on the F80 don’t resemble switch-blades. You can see out of them and when I hit the throttle on the motorway, other vehicles vanish from sight like ants in the rain.

Conversely the interior mirror is digital and objects appear closer than in reality, like the boy who wheelie’d his scooter a metre off my stern for the length of a colonnade of trees. At least he stayed on. A crowd of signorinas on pedal bikes were sent wobbling as they gawped at the sculpted hunk of metal prowling the neighbourhood. Like the looks or not, you cannot take your eyes off the F80.

The evolution of hypercars is a mixed bag. Praga opted for lightweight construction with combustion-only propulsion and next generation aerodynamics. Most car makers went full EV or hybrid where the main issue has been excessive weight and overheating, cue smoking brakes and de-rating of power. Name a single one that doesn’t. You can’t. Until now.