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08/07/2011
REVIEW By EWAN KENNEDY
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Making a car as efficient as humanly possible is the job of any automotive engineer, no more so than in the white-hot atmosphere of Grand Prix racing. Ferrari is the only company to have competed in modern Formula One racing since its inception in 1951 and in that 60 years has amassed a mountain of engineering expertise. Expertise that carries across to its road cars as well.
We have just spent a most enjoyable day punting a bright red Ferrari California HELE around the hinterland behind Brisbane. ‘HELE’ in hear you ask? Quite simply it stands for High Emotion Low Emissions - in a very Italian way, emotion takes precedence over efficiency, but there’s no lack of the latter.
The HELE package on the Ferrari California has just gone on sale in Australia. With changes to the body aerodynamics, engine operation, transmission settings and electrical system, the stunning Italian convertible has reduced fuel usage and CO2 emissions. To the extent that the Australian importer proudly points out that the California HELE has similar emission levels to Australian-built family sedans and wagons.
Official fuel consumption measurements on the Ferrari California HELE on the combined cycle have been trimmed from 13.1 litres per hundred kilometres to 11.5 litres.
Let’s look at some examples of the work that has gone into the highly-efficient Ferrari HELE. The Italian engineers reasoned that the cooling system in most cars is set up to work in worst case scenarios - scorching hot days, heavy loads, full power acceleration and so on. For 99.9 per cent of the time maximum cooling isn’t needed. So the Ferrari guys and gals have come up with a system that provides an infinitely variable cooling program.
Even better, because the fans aren’t working flat out, the engine can now send torque that was once needed to drive them to the wheels instead.
Similarly, fuel delivery systems on most engines work at maximum flow all the time and return what fuel isn’t needed to the tank on a virtually continuous basis. Now the flow requirement is monitored millisecond by millisecond and the pump isn’t dragging power away from the engine unnecessarily.
Same again with the air conditioning compressor. It only has to provide the peak output on a very few occasions, so has now been tuned to vary itself moment by moment.
Again the engine is able to send more torque to the wheels. Indeed, these and other changes have given the Ferrari powerplant up to 25 more Newton metres than previously.
Our road test review of the Ferrari California showed the engine stop-start system (that cuts the engine when the car is stopped) was almost seamless in its operation. In particular it kicked the engine into life in about a quarter of a second of the brake pedal being eased.
Acceleration is great, with our big red machine leaping off the mark and getting to 100 km/h less than four seconds later. The grip from the suspension and tyres is astonishing and the brakes make your eyes feel as though they are bulging outwards. All of this to a snap and snarl from the big V8 as it revs to the skies before the heavens. Sheer delight to anyone who loves driving.
As well as being a true sportscar, with virtually instantaneous throttle response and brakes and suspension to match, the Ferrari California also works beautifully as a quite cruiser. Powering down the roof takes only 14 seconds (as you would expect from the legendary Italian marque, the roof is the fastest folding hardtop in the business) meaning you can open or close the car whilst stopped at a red traffic light.
Punch one of the Ferrari’s steering-wheel controls from ‘Sport’ to ‘Comfort’ and the California becomes a gentler car that can easily be used a daily commuting basis. The suspension settings are softer, the steering reactions are toned down and the engine and transmission slip from bruiser to cruiser.
The HELE changes add $2750 to the price of the standard Ferrari California bringing it up to $462,400 - plus substantial on-road costs, most of them in the form of Australia’s infamous luxury car tax.
HELE will be standard on all new model Ferraris from now on.
As is often the way with Ferrari, engineering changes explored by the Formula One team find their way into Ferrari road going machines, then eventually move down into affordable cars. Even the little Fiat 500 is benefitting from anti-friction materials in its engine that were once the province of its vastly more expensive automotive brothers. |
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