Sitting at the peak of the “hypercar” performance world is the Ferrari LaFerrari, a car so exclusive that most of us will never see one in person outside of a special appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s April 7-10 Charlotte AutoFair.

From model year 2013 through 2018, the Italian automaker produced a line of sports cars that so encapsulated what Ferrari is as an automotive icon that the model was named simply LaFerrari, as if to say, “Above all else, this car is THE Ferrari!” (“La” is simply Italian for “the.”) Funny name aside, what makes LaFerrari one of the 21st century’s finest hypercars?

  • It’s hyper fast. With a combined 950 horsepower from its 6.3-liter V-12 engine and an electric “mild hybrid” system to boost its low-end torque, the LaFerrari blasts to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and to 100 in 4.8 seconds. The mid-engine, rear-drive beast gets through the quarter-mile in 9.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 218 mph.
  • It’s hyper expensive. When new, the LaFerrari sold for $1.5 million. Don’t get out the checkbook yet; buying a used LaFerrari will run at least $3.5 million today. On loan from NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner and renowned car enthusiast Rick Hendrick, the LaFerrari on display at the AutoFair is valued at $5 million.
  • It’s hyper rare. Ferrari only built 499 LaFerrari coupes from 2013 to 2016 and 210 LaFerrari Aperta open-top cars from 2016 to 2018. Being wealthy or famous wasn’t enough to get someone on a list to buy one. Ferrari chose only its most loyal, high-profile, repeat customers to take home a LaFerrari. Rumor has it that a customer had to have bought at least five new Ferrari models to be considered for a LaFerrari slot! Ferrari also set a record for the most money ever paid for a new car in 2016 when it built a special 500th LaFerrari that RM Sotheby’s auctioned for $7 million to help Italian earthquake relief victims.
  • It’s hyper light. At 3,489 pounds, THE Ferrari weighs only as much as a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord sedan. Its power-to-weight ratio is a mind-boggling 3.7 pounds of car weight per horsepower! Extensive use of four different types of carbon fiber, including for the passenger capsule itself, was a crucial part of the car’s weight loss program.
  • Its technology is hyper advanced. An astonishing amount of engineering lies beneath the gorgeous, wind tunnel-tuned body. Computers handle many aspects of the LaFerrari’s performance—21 of which are responsible for adjusting the active aerodynamic flaps and wings on the fly.
  • It’s hyper civilized. Magazine testers report that the LaFerrari, with its 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, is remarkably easy to drive.
  • It’s hyper thirsty. Even though Ferrari’s latest hypercar has a hybrid drivetrain (combining a gas engine and electric motors), don’t expect Toyota Prius-level gas mileage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the LaFerrari can only go 12 miles on a gallon of premium gasoline in the city and 16 on the highway.

The LaFerrari is not Ferrari’s first attempt to build a fast car; Enzo Ferrari’s company has been producing roadgoing racing machines since 1947. Four of its previous models are generally considered to be trendsetters of the mid-engine supercar and hypercar categories: the 1984–87 twin-turbocharged 288 GTO (272 built), the 1987–92 twin-turbo F40 (1,315 built), the 1995–97 V-12 F50 (349 built), and the 2002–04 Enzo (400 built).

The Ferrari LaFerrari, provided by Rick Hendrick of Concord, isn’t the only automotive eye candy coming to the April 7-10 Charlotte AutoFair at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Showcase Pavilion will also feature a Ford GT40 that starred in the Ford v Ferrari movie, the “Best of the Best” of the recent car show circuit, a nostalgic display of AMC products, and the one-off, wedge-shaped 1966 Cannara I sports car.

MORE INFO:

The Charlotte AutoFair features more than 50 car club displays and more than 10,000 vendor spaces offering an array of automotive parts and memorabilia. More than 1,500 collectible vehicles of all makes and models will be available for sale in the car corral that rings the 1.5-mile superspeedway throughout the four-day show. Hours for the April 7-10 Charlotte AutoFair are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

TICKETS:                                                                                                    

Single-day tickets are $10 on Thursday and $15 on Friday and Saturday for adults. A four-day weekend pass is available for just $40. Admission is FREE for children 12 and under with an adult. To buy tickets, AutoFair attendees can shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com, purchase at the gate, or call 800-455-FANS (3267).

FOLLOW US:

Keep track of Charlotte AutoFair attractions and events by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.