It uses real race car underpinnings with transforming aerodynamic bodywork.
Ferrari has revealed a new one-off supercar called the Ferrari KC23, built per a private commission on the bones of the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, which has subsequently been replaced by a new 296 GT3 racer based on the 296 GTB. Back to the KC23, however.
Officially the latest addition to the One-Off series of bespoke supercars developed by Ferrari's Special projects division, the KC23 was commissioned by “one of the Prancing Horse's leading collectors.” Using the Evo 2020 version of the 488 GT3, Ferrari's most successful race car ever with over 530 victories, the KC23 has a 90-degree twin-turbo V8 displacing 3.9 liters and producing as much as 592 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque in competition trim.
But unlike the competitive racer, the KC23 is a non-competitive car, going into a private collection where we hope its owner (who we assume has the initials KC) will regularly track it. While the underpinnings are familiar, the design is all-new and features a dual configuration to look both road and track ready. The biggest difference between the two configurations is the massive race car wing, which is removable to provide the KC23 with a sleek design when not at the track.
Other stylistic-cum-aerodynamic traits include the automatically-opening air intakes and vents, which open automatically the moment the engine is fired up. Ferrari describes its static styling as monolithic but highlights the duality of it becoming a hardened race machine when the V8 starts.
Adding to the pantomime are butterfly doors, which oven vertically on single front hinges like the LaFerrari.
Despite all-new bodywork, Ferrari claims the newcomer closely matches the race car for aerodynamic and cooling efficiency, with the auto-opening panels behind the front wheels aiding downforce while those on the rear haunches channel air toward the intakes, intercoolers, and auxiliary components.
Other enhancements include a clamshell hood, affixed with two hood pins for ease of access, and all-new lighting systems. Both the headlights and taillights have been entirely redesigned, the latter sporting methacrylate light blades inspired by the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo.
The glazing elements of the car have been smoothly integrated with the bodywork, something Ferrari says is aeronautically inspired without visible pillars, frames, or seals.
The Ferrari KC23 is finished in Gold Mercury, a specially-developed four-layer aluminum paint with liquid metal in the paint that supposedly changes how the car looks in different lighting conditions.
Inside the cabin, the Ferrari KC23 is a real race car, retaining as much of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020's interior as possible. The only adjustments are the door panel and dashboard finish on the passenger side. Model-specific seats have an electro-welded logo and are upholstered in Alcantara over a carbon fiber frame, with impressive side bolstering not just at the hips but the shoulders and head too. Ahead of the driver is an almost-square racing wheel and full race controls.
Because visibility is limited by both the seats and the louvered rear engine cover, a video camera system has been installed, displayed on three screens suspended centrally from the roof. It's this camera system that enabled the KC23 to replace traditional wing mirrors with slender camera stalks.
This is a developing story.
Keyword: Ferrari KC23 Revealed As One-Off Based On A Real Race Car