Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017, which included races in the Ferrari Challenge Series for the Corse Clienti drivers, and private practice sessions for the F1 and FXX-K clients.

This is the Ferrari FXX-K of American driver John Taylor from Dallas, a car that is based on the LaFerrari with a 6,262cc V12 engine and a 140Kw electric motor giving a total output of 1,050hp. The Ferrari website says this about the FXX-K:

'If to own a Ferrari is a privilege, then to possess an XX is a kind of apotheosis. These intriguing letters stand for the three Ferrari programmes dedicated to its most faithful customers who are lucky enough to drive cars produced in very limited numbers and exclusively for the track.

The latest of these is the FXX-K, officially presented at the Finali Mondiali in Abu Dhabi in December 2014. In the name, the letter K stands for “KERS”, the kinetic energy recovery technology for maximising track performance. Ferrari made no compromises in the design of the FXX K, whose technological innovations provide an unprecedented driving experience for the exclusive group of customer-testers with which the “Prancing Horse” will perform a special test programme over the next two years. The huge potential of the car is summed up in a few but significant figures: 1050 total horse power, 860 of which come from the V12 heat engine and 190 from the electric motor with over 900 Nm of maximum torque.

The FXX was the first laboratory-car. It was launched in 2006 and sports a 12-cylinder 6.3-litre engine that provides a thrilling performance. The star of the second XX adventure is based on the Ferrari 599 and appeared in 2009. The 599XX is a 700-horse power concentrate of technology equipped with very sophisticated systems such as the fans that, sucking the air from the faired bottom of the car and expelling it from two rear pipes, make the vehicle stick to the asphalt, creating a perfect ground effect. Its performance is also thrilling. The XX Programmes emerged out of the ingenious and rather fascinating idea of involving a group of special customers in the development of the Ferraris of the future, asking them to help provide information to the Corse Clienti technicians. Indeed, the enthusiasts who own these cars take part in a number of technical test sessions over the year closely monitored by Ferrari experts and have the chance to meet Maranello’s engineers and professional testers in an environment in keeping with the tradition of the world’s most famous race team.'