Cars
Super Tyres for Supercars
“Power is nothing without control” reads the slogan of Pirelli’s famous 1994 brand campaign. Five words that perfectly sum up the need to equip high-performance cars with high-performance tyres. A requirement that is even more crucial when we’re talking about Maranello’s flagship supercars – cars that, in their time, epitomised the maximum in terms of technological progress and class-leading chassis dynamics. Which is why Ferrari and Pirelli have worked together to create replacement tyres for four of the marque’s most legendary supercars: the GTO, F40, Enzo, and F50.
Above: tyre development testing for the F40, F50, Enzo – as well as the GTO – took place at Ferrari's Fiorano track
“At Ferrari,” explains Head of Global Aftersales and Ferrari Classiche, Andrea Modena, “we deal daily with demand for spare parts and original components. The significance of tyres as a safety aspect of a car is often overlooked but, especially with limited-series cars, it is not easy to find the exact specification and correct aspect ratio. Some more modern after-market tyres are already available, but we decided to go one step further and ask our traditional supplier, Pirelli, to develop two new tyres. And, while we were at it, we asked them to test two of their existing after-market tyres to ensure their performance was up to our exacting standards.”
The very first Ferrari supercar was the GTO, which was one of the first cars to benefit from ultra-low-profile tyres that matched the car’s acceleration, braking and road-holding: 225/50 R16 front and either 255/50 or 265/50 R16 rear. The new tyre that Pirelli has prepared for the GTO is a P7 Cinturato. Originally designed for the World Rally Championship in 1974, it was subsequently launched on production sports cars in 1976. This was the first modern tyre to feature a low profile for improved handling, and Pirelli has developed a new P7 for the GTO with the wider rear tyre size (265/50 R16), a period look and tread design, combined with modern materials and construction technology.
Above: the F40 awaits Ferrari's Chief Test Driver Raffaele de Simone
The tyre for the 1987 F40 is instead a new version of the P Zero from Pirelli’s Collezione range which was already available as an aftermarket product. Pirelli have now introduced an updated version, in the original sizes of 245/40 R17 (front) and 335/35 R17 (rear), which has been modified and now features the original lettering on the tyre walls. Similarly, new P Zero Corsa System tyres from Pirelli’s Collezione range, in the sizes 245/35 R18 (front) and 335/30 R18 (rear), were developed for the 1995 F50.
The P Zero Corsa System tyres were also chosen as the basis for a dedicated development project for the 2002 Enzo Ferrari. Whilst remaining true to the original in terms of size and aspect ratio, the new tyre uses state-of-the-art materials, compounds and technology to deliver modern-day levels of grip, performance and safety. It is available for the Enzo Ferrari in the original 245/35 R19 (front) and 345/35 R19 (rear) sizes and features two different directional and asymmetric tread patterns designed to counter aquaplaning.
From left: fitting an Enzo with the new tyres; new rubber at rest: an F50 ready to do some laps; Raffaele de Simone (right) shares his driving impressions with engineer Gabriele Pritoni and test driver Fabrizio Toschi
Dedicated development testing for the new tyres was undertaken by Pirelli at Fiorano, using cars generously loaned by a noted Ferrari collector, together with Ferrari engineers and Chief Test Driver, Raffaele de Simone. “The objective was to ensure that each tyre respected the performance of the originals in terms of road-holding and feel,” explains de Simone. “With modern compounds, tyre wall stiffness and construction technology, it would be easy to create a tyre that offers vast amounts of grip in transient manoeuvres in the dry, but that does not provide the kind of balance and progressive handling characteristics needed to drive these cars the way they were designed originally.”
Above: Pirelli has developed the new P7 Cinturato for the GTO with a wider rear tyre size, a period look and tread design, combined with modern materials and construction technology
Period road tests always highlighted the cars’ extreme turbo lag, followed by massive power oversteer. In truth, the GTO and the F40 are both easier to control on the limit than one would think, and the break-away is quite progressive. That’s exactly the characteristic that Maranello seeks from tyres that have to deal with this kind of power delivery. Exhilarating handling, without being scary.
With the official approval of replacement tyres for these supercars, Ferrari again demonstrates its commitment to ensuring that owners of older limited-series models can continue to enjoy their cars with maximum peace of mind.
Cover image: from left, the Enzo (2002), F50 (1995), and F40 (1987) on the Fiorano circuit, wearing the newly developed Pirelli tyres