It looks like Ferrari is brainstorming a few potential names for the LaFerrari successor.
Thanks to filings found at the Italian patent office, CarBuzz has exclusively uncovered the names of several new Ferrari models, including what we believe to be potential names for the LaFerrari replacement. First, a little bit of history.
After the F40 and the F50 halo cars, there was the F60 America special edition, not a range-topper but still special. Then there was the LaFerrari, which was internally known by the codes F70 and F150. Today, we found a trademark for the name F80 (which also happens to be the chassis code for the last-generation BMW M3).
Trademarking an internal code is not a regular occurrence because, well, these names are not traded upon. Something else that is rare is applying the Aperta suffix, as in the case of the F80 Aperta name we found. Aperta (open) is a name that has only been used three times before: on the LaFerrari Aperta, the 599 GTO-based SA Aperta, and the one-off P540 Superfast Aperta. In each instance, it finds itself on a very special car indeed.
So is the LaFerrari successor called F80?
It may well be. Reportedly, the LaFerrari's successor is internally designated F250. If that's so, F80 would signal a return to three-character names, and the internal code would follow directly from the LaFerrari's. But there are other potential names too.
CarBuzz also discovered trademarks for the name Drake and for an open-top variant called Drake A, presumably short for Aperta. Ferrari would never name any of its cars after a celebrity, so what gives?
According to Wikipedia, Enzo Ferrari, widely known as Il Commendatore, also had the nickname Il Drake. That's not an Italian word, but the Latin word for dragon is draco, which in Italian is drago. Perhaps Enzo got this nickname because of a somewhat fiery temperament, which may have been partly attributed to multiple tragedies in his personal life.
Naming a new halo car after one of his nicknames – and a fire-breathing dragon – may well work for a new range-topper, but it's also possible that Ferrari is simply protecting these names in case they someday seem more suitable for a car.
A sexier, more exotic-sounding name would be La Rossa, or The Red, which we also uncovered. We've had the Ferrari TheFerrari, so what about the Ferrari The Red? We wouldn't put it past Maranello. This name was trademarked alongside La Rossa A for a drop-top version.
We'll just have to wait and see because Ferrari has also filed to protect the name 12 Cilindri. At first, we assumed this might be an engine name, despite the fact that Ferrari's engines are given alphanumeric codes, but then we found the filing for 12 Cilindri A. As if that's not confusing enough, Ferrari is protecting the name 6 Cilindri. It would have made sense as the name for a range if not for the fact that there's an 'A' variant of the 12 Cilindri name, so for now, we're lost on this one.
Regardless, it's clear that Ferrari is laying the groundwork for new products beyond the SF90 XX twins, and one of them is guaranteed to be a LaFerrari replacement. Ferrari will also introduce roadgoing versions of its 499P Le Mans winner, and we know the 812 needs a successor.
The Ferrari F8 Tributo is also getting a little long in the tooth, and the Roma may be due for a name change (Ferrari typically gives a new name to its updated models, as evidenced by the fact that the F8 is a direct descendant of the 488 GTB, itself based on the exquisite 458 Italia). The Roma Spider was introduced not too long ago, but Maranello is almost certainly ready to update the car that entered production in 2020.
Special editions of the 296 GTB are also inevitable, and guess what? We have the inside line on those, too. Details coming soon.
Keyword: Ferrari La Rossa, Ferrari Drake, Or Ferrari F80 Potential Names Of Next Ferrari Halo Car