2024 Ferrari Purosangue - Is It Better Than a Urus?

The Purosangue’s engine (code-named F140IA) maintains the architecture that made the Prancing Horse’s most recent 12-cylinders so successful i.e. a 65° angle between its cylinder banks, a 6.5-litre capacity, dry sump and high-pressure direct injection. It was designed, however, to produce the highest amount of torque at low revs possible without losing the feeling of linear, never-ending power typical of Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated V12s. 80% of the maximum torque is on tap at just 2100 rpm and it peaks at 716 Nm at 6250 rpm. Maximum power of 725 cv is reached at 7750 rpm and throttle response is characteristic of a real sports car.

Intake, timing and exhaust systems have been completely redesigned, while the cylinder heads are derived from the 812 Competizione. Huge attention was lavished on improving mechanical and combustion efficiency, employing Formula 1-inspired calibration concepts. The result is that the most powerful engine ever developed by Ferrari for a four-seater car is also the most powerful in its segment, as well as the only one capable of delivering that instantly recognisable Ferrari V12 soundtrack.

To guarantee maximum mechanical efficiency, the rotating masses have been redesigned. The nitrided steel crankshaft was modified to lengthen the stroke and the internal oil passageways have been redesigned to improve oil flow to the big-end bearings. Lower bearing clearance tolerances improve consumption. The coolant and oil pump assembly was also redesigned focussing on the scavenge section to reduce friction and mass thanks to the adoption of smaller diameter rotors and optimising the inlets and outlets as well as the rotor seals.

The valve train timing is all new, while the new finishing process for the camshafts has considerably reduced the surface roughness and the friction coefficient between the lobes, the shafts themselves and the hydraulic tappets.

To optimise the torque curve and ensure a continual increase across the rev range, the geometry of the intake ducts and plenums was revised. The geometry of the exhaust system was also optimised to increase permeability reduce back pressure. There are specific pistons with a redesigned crown to increase combustion efficiency.

The engine’s direct injection system comprises two high-pressure fuel pumps (350 bar) that deliver petrol to the injectors in the combustion chambers. The ignition system, comprising 12 coils and spark plugs, is constantly monitored by the ECU which has an ion-sensing system that measures ionising currents to control ignition timing. It has a single- and a multi-spark function to make the combustion as efficient as possible at all revs. The ECU also controls combustion in the chamber to ensure that the engine is always working at peak thermodynamic efficiency, thanks to a sophisticated strategy that recognises the octane rating (RON) of the fuel in the tank and adjusting the advance to suit. The engine strategy includes a new patented function derived from Ferrari’s Formula expertise that optimises the torque during transient acceleration manoeuvres in the low and mid-range.

The F140IA’s soundtrack is a superb example of integration between the glorious symphony created by the engine’s combustion sequence and Ferrari’s ability to control the acoustics in the cabin. The equal-length exhaust manifolds are tuned to guarantee the 12 cylinders are in perfect harmony. The new plenum with optimised intake duct accompanies the V12’s high notes with the body of the medium frequencies. The two progressive silencers, the response of which is now included in the Manettino settings, cater for in-town and performance driving. The resulting soundtrack is typical Ferrari, with that unmistakable V12 harmonics that are present, yet subtle, until the driver accelerates hard: as the engine approaches the 8250 rpm red-line, there’s an enthralling crescendo that reaches its pinnacle at the kind of high revs only Ferrari’s engines can deliver.