Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa has hinted that the upcoming new Enzo will use a twin-turbo V-8 power plant and make liberal use of carbon fiber, despite the company shying away from the lightweight material in the rest of its lineup.

“The fact is that nobody today has a real understanding of what happens if you damage a carbon-fiber structure,” said Felisa, “After 20 or 30 years of use, who knows what state a carbon-fiber structure will be in?”

Felisa did talk about how Ferrari was looking to use smaller engines in the future but was unwilling to go as far as employing a V-6.

“There are no plans for a six-cylinder engine today,” said Felisa, “Ferrari will not build a six-cylinder engine until customer attitudes towards smaller engines change. The perception today is that the number of cylinders equates to the possibilities of the car. That is why we are developing hybrid technology that can be applied to our V-8 and V-10 cars. Hybrid means we can protect the V-12.”

Felisa also said that either the European Union or Italian environmental regulations could force the company to bring out its new hybrid technology early.

“The issue of emissions for Ferrari is more a political one than real one,” said Felisa, “Lowering emissions of every Ferrari will not save the planet, but it will cost us a lot of money.”

[via WorldCarFans via AutoCar]

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