FERRARI FXX

2005 Ferrari FXX

49. FERRARI FXX

         Considering the company's rich racing heritage it is no surprise that the competition potential of every new Ferrari sportscar is subject of heavy speculation. When the Ferrari Enzo was launched in 2002, the speculation was fed by a number of grainy pictures of a black racer looking not too dissimilar to the new supercar. However with the sport's governing bodies' moratorium on moving aerodynamics it was unlikely that the Enzo could be turned into a racer. Until this day there are still many questions surrounding the mysterious black car shown in the spy shots, but it could very well just have been a pre-production test bed.

Shortly after the Enzo's production finished early in 2004, Maserati revealed an ambitious racing program with a mid-engined V12 sportscar. Although this MC12 looked completely different, it was soon clear that its roots lay in the Enzo supercar produced by Maserati's parent company. Maserati had combined the potent Enzo chassis with a fixed aerodynamic body to create an elligible racer before building road going replicas for homologation purposes. This controversial scheme recalled the days of GT1 racing and the car was not accepted well by the governing bodies. Le Mans' ACO refused the car and the FIA only accepted it after some modifications were made. While some anticipated a Maserati walk-over, the forced alterations had slowed the cars down considerably, but it still racked up several victories in the FIA GT World Championship.

The FXX shares its carbonfibre chassis and greenhouse with the Enzo, but both the nose and tail were completely redesigned. The revised aerodynamics resulted in a downforce increase of 40%. To suit a particular track the angle of the rear spoiler can be adjusted by the driver. The biggest news was found under the large engine cover; a 6.2 litre version of the 6 litre engine found in the Enzo and MC12. Ferrari claims the engine produces at least 800 bhp and we have no reason to doubt that. The exhausts were re-routed and now exit right under the rear wings, swapping places with the tail lights. The engine is mated to a paddle operated semi-automatic gearbox that can change gears in a staggering 100 ms. Huge 19 inch alloy wheels were required to clear the specifically developed carbon ceramic break discs. Bridgestone provides a special 'Potenza Scuderia' slick tire for the FXX.



With a pice tag close to 2,000,000 $ this cool cat can hit a top speed of 370 kmph(230 mph)
 and 0-100 kmph(62 mph) in 2.6 sec.