Packed shoulder to shoulder at the Ferrari stand, attendees of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show witnessed the debut of something momentous: the first roadgoing hybrid Ferrari.

Impossibly low-slung, the stunning hypercar was a remarkable statement even to Ferrari, as its very name reflects: Simply called, LaFerrari, there are no latent references to past models or complicated alphanumeric designations for its F1-influenced hybrid powertrain—just “The Ferrari.” This was it, the singular vehicle that would chart the company’s future.

Ferrari was not alone in its pursuit to electrify the hypercar; both McLaren and Porsche were on a similar path at the time.

Ferrari, however, was the only one to employ a 12-cylinder engine, in true Ferrari tradition.

Within a footprint no larger than the preceding Enzo’s, the automaker managed to squeeze both a 6.2-liter V-12 and a 120-kilowatt electric motor into the middle of its carbon-fiber monocoque.

With 789 horsepower on tap from the V-12 and an addit...