GALLERY: 1,050 hp Ferrari FXX K at Yas Marina Circuit

Greetings from Abu Dhabi! We’re at the Yas Marina Circuit for the 2014 Finali Mondiali Ferrari, the all-out celebration of the end of the Ferrari racing calendar. It’s here where the Ferrari FXX K – Maranello’s latest XX rolling laboratory –  has been rolled out in front of the throngs of tifosi and owners that have come out to the middle of the desert for the event.

While the car looks stunning in the press photos provided yesterday, absolutely nothing beats seeing it in the metal (or carbon fibre in this case). The FXX K is quite obviously based on the gorgeous LaFerrari, but the added flicks, swoops and graphics give it an even deeper sense of drama.

At the front, there’s a new twin-profile spoiler, under which sits a larger, lower (by 30 mm) splitter. The dive planes and endplates work together with vertical fins to channel air towards the flanks, creating a longitudinal vortex. The resulting localised depression drags the wake from the wheels to the outside of the underbody, which together with the side skirts isolates the airflow from the underbody, increasing its efficiency.

The tail end of the car has been made higher, and the movable rear spoiler now extends by as much as 180 mm, 60 mm more than on the LaFerrari. Another pair of vertical fins rise up from either side, and are fitted with small wings – these act as guide vanes in low downforce mode and boosts the rear spoiler’s efficiency in the high-downforce setup. Downforce has increased as a result, to 540 kg at 200 km/h.

The Pirelli P-Zero slicks are fitted with sensors that monitor longitudinal, lateral and radial acceleration, as well as temperature and pressure. They analyse the interaction between the tyre and track surface, providing the traction control system with even more data. Stopping those 1,050 Italian steeds are carbon ceramic Brembo brakes.

Like the LaFerrari, the FXX K is powered by a 6.3 litre V12, mated to a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS, that’s the “K” for you) and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. What has changed are the power outputs, which on the V12 have risen by 60 hp to 860 hp, while the electric motor is now 27 hp more powerful at 190 hp – that’s a whole hot hatch in there. Together, they make an incredible 1,050 hp and over 900 Nm.

Contributing to the increased performance of the internal combustion engine are new camshafts and a modified valve train, with mechanical tappets replacing hydraulic ones. The intake manifold has also been redesigned and given a special type of polishing treatment, while the exhaust system has been dispensed of its silencers.

Ferrari’s version of KERS, dubbed HY-KERS, has also been retuned for maximum performance. The Manettino switch on the centre console has four settings to choose from – Qualify for max performance within a limited number of laps, Long Run to optimise performance consistency, Manual Boost for instant max torque delivery and Fast Charge for a fast recharge of the car’s battery.

Another five-position Manettino switch on the steering wheel controls the intervention level of the E-Diff electronic differential, F-Trac traction control, Racing SSC (Side Slip Angle Control) – calibrated specifically to match the slicks – and the high-performance ABS.

Overall, the FXX K weighs about 90 kg less than the LaFerrari, bringing the mass down to around 1,145 kg. It laps Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in 1 minute 14.5 seconds, 4.5 seconds faster than the LaFerrari, 1.5 seconds faster than the previous FXX Evoluzione and half a second quicker than the 599XX Evoluzione.

Like its XX stablemates, the Ferrari FXX K is not road-legal and is not certified for any form of motor racing. It will instead be used by the company’s select group of Client Test Drivers – basically wealthy customers who buy into the XX programme – which will participate in a special test exercise Ferrari will hold over the next two years.

Want to own one? Sorry, but less than 40 units of the FXX K will be produced, and they have all been spoken for, at a cost of €2.5 million (RM10.7 million) each, before taxes.

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