White camouflage on a test vehicle tends to get noticed when caught out in public. However, a helping hand from Mother Nature can make such wrappings epic for sneaking about. Ferrari recently used some thick fog as an opportunity to conduct some slow-speed testing of its V6 hybrid powertrain, but a spy camera managed to capture the action anyway.
We’ve seen a few good Ferrari hybrid spy videos from Varryx on YouTube, and this one is no exception. Camped out near Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters, the lens captures a hard-to-see test mule parked in the fog, its janky white camo blending well with the surroundings. It’s a 488-bodied testbed for the Ferrari V6 hybrid currently in development, and this video absolutely confirms the hybrid powertrain. As the car makes slow, silent passes on this short stretch of pavement, a V6 exhaust note suddenly springs to life. It appears the focus of this particular test session is the engagement point of the internal-combustion mill.
This goes on for a few minutes, with the fog thinning enough to give us a clear view of the test car. The mule looks like it’s seen better days, but just as we start to lose interest something much sharper enters the field. Another 488-bodied test vehicle wearing a handsome gray/black camo wrap rolls down the street, but this isn’t a V6 hybrid. The soundtrack is constant and higher-pitched, suggesting a V12 is hiding beneath the engine cover. Could Ferrari also be developing a new V12 hybrid powertrain?
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That’s a complicated question. Ferrari obviously is very mum on its future plans, but a glimpse of that future from last year showed no V12 hybrid on the docket. Also, Ferrari has said that keeping the V12 alive will be difficult in the midst of stricter emission regulations. As such, there’s no indication Ferrari will try to offer a V12 hybrid from a standpoint of efficiency. From a performance standpoint, however, it’s quite possible. That theory was given new life just a couple of weeks ago when we caught a LaFerrari-bodied test mule on the street brandishing a hybrid sticker.
And now, we have a camouflaged 488 with a V12 soundtrack. The pieces are starting to add up, and they could lead to Ferrari’s next-generation hypercar. The coming months in Maranello should indeed be very interesting.
