The Ferrari Enzo was a truly remarkable car. Well, it would have to be if it was to live up to being named after the marque’s founder. It was a car that carried Ferrari’s flagship V12 and married it to a host of advanced performance technology derived from its illustrious F1 career. However, the Prancing Horse pushed the Enzo even further via a rarified track-only special. Dubbed the Ferrari FXX, this car became an integral part of future Ferrari road cars.
Just 399 Ferrari Enzos were ever produced for customers, with car 400 being given to The Pope for a charity auction. Built between 2002 and 2004, this supercar featured plenty of innovation that included carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide ceramic composite disc brakes, an advanced paddle shift system, underbody aerodynamics and the extensive use of lightweight materials. Its naturally aspirated F140 B V12 engine might be traditional, but its was a new construction and happily supplied this car with 651bhp. Quite the machine.
The Enzo represented a high watermark indeed, but Ferrari wanted to carry on its theme of advanced engineering born from the track, onwards into the next decade. A plan surfaced where a series of special vehicles were to be created and used as a testbed for new components and to gather data. These effective prototypes would be put in the hands of the very people destined to buy future Ferrari cars. It would be the Enzo that served as a perfect starting point.
The Ferrari FXX program was revealed in 2005 and consisted of 29 track-only supercars. While based on the Enzo, the FXX models hosted a larger 6.3-litre V12 producing 789bhp at a higher rpm. Its gearbox also incorporated the latest learnings direct from Formula 1. A total aerodynamic overhaul was penned by Frank Stephenson –a man who would later help create the McLaren P1. This race machine had its 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in slick tyres and featured a host of sensors and computers to generate detailed data on both car and driver.
Ferrari hand-picked a selection of its customers and offered them the exclusive opportunity to become part of the FXX program. While quite the honour to be asked to help develop future Ferraris, it did come at a cost… £2 million to be precise. For that cash you wouldn’t own the car, but Ferrari would send ti to any pre-approved event around the world and supply a crew of technical support. Ferrari also created a series of events and private testing sessions for their FXX customers.
A 30th Ferrari FXX was created as a retirement gift for Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher, are car clearly identified by being the only black Ferrari FXX. Other modifications included matte exhaust tips, no contrasting stripe and red detailing the alloy wheels.
In 2007 Ferrari extensively updated the FXX in preparation for the development of more high performance models. Called the FXX Evoluzione, the track are was clothed in a slipperier aerodynamic package. Its V12 engine could now rev to 9,500rpm and deliver 848bhp, figures that equate to a 0-62mph sprint of just 2.5 seconds. The Evo still holds the honour of being the fastest factory Ferrari with top speed of 249mph.
The FXX continued on until 2009 before being succeeded in 2015 by the Ferrari FXX-K – a car entrusted with he same task but based upon LaFerrari. One of the most crucial differences is the new hybrid drivetrain that will be used to crate future greener Ferraris.
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Keyword: Remember the Ferrari FXX?