Ferrari's LaFerrari FXX K
Just when you though the £1m, 950bhp, hybrid LaFerrari was the very pinnacle of what Ferrari’s engineering department was capable of, it’s taken the covers of an even faster and more extreme derivative – the LaFerrari FXX K.
Like the Enzo FXX that went before it, the FXX K is a track-only model only available to pre-selected buyers who are only allowed to drive the car at special Ferrari track days where they are asked to feed back telemetry data and their opinions to accelerate the development of future technology.
Although the basic layout of the HY-KERS hybrid powertrain (including the seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox) is retained, power from the 6.3-litre V12 is up from 789bhp to 848bhp thanks to new camshafts and intake manifolds (with peak power delivered at a head-spinning 9,250rpm), while the electric motor is boosted from 161bhp to 187bhp – pushing the total from 950bhp to 1,036bhp. Performance figures are yet to be released, but expect a very slight improvement on the standard LaFerrari’s sub-3 seconds 0-62mph time and 217mph top speed.
Because the FXX K will never compete in any FIA-sanctioned racing, it isn’t bound by any legislation, so Ferrari had free-reign to build its most extreme closed-canopy track car to date. For starters, the silencers have been removed, so expect the exhaust note to put Ferrari’s current F1 car to shame.
Four newly-calibrated Manettino settings help get the most from the dual power sources, depending on the type of driving that’s required. ‘Qualify’ extracts the maximum performance for a limited number of laps, ‘Long Run’ optimises performance over a longer period, ‘Manual Boost’ offers maximum torque delivery when you ask for it and ‘Fast Charge’ quickly tops up the battery.
The extreme aero package begins with a jutting, two-layered front splitter that sits 30mm closer to the track surface. End plates and vertical fins at the front help to channel air more smoothly down the sides of the car, too. Fins protruding from the side skirts do a similar job for airflow over the rear wheel.
Perhaps the FXX K’s defining feature, though, is its unusual twin spoilers at the rear – these help to boost the efficiency of the active rear spoiler that now deploys by a further 60mm when required. As a result there’s 50 per more downforce in the low drag configuration and 30 per cent more in the more aggressive configuration.
Pirelli slick tyres ensure the FXX K stays keyed into the track surface, while temperature, pressure and G-force sensors relay everything the engineers need to know about what’s happening at the tyre-road contact patch. The electronic differential, traction control and Side Slip Angle Control system are all specifically programmed to suit the car’s more aggressive set up, and can be controlled by a second five-position Manettino switch on the steering wheel.
There’s no word on how much the FXX K will cost, but expect something that dwarfs the Enzo FXX’s £2m asking price back in 2005. There’s also no word on how many will be made, but a run of 30 – to match the Enzo FXX – seems likely.
