Ferrari Unveils LaFerrari-based 1000+ HP Track Monster, the FXX K
Not content to let McLaren’s P1 GTR hog all the hyper track-car headlines, Ferrari has just pulled back the curtain on the FXX K, a track-focused beast based on the LaFerrari which gets more power, less weight, and a whole lot of aero dynamic tweaks. As part of the FXX program, the FXX K will be strictly for track use, and it’s worth noting that it doesn’t qualify for any race series currently running. But anyone who’s fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of an FXX K probably won’t be very concerned with that after they drop the hammer in the latest and greatest offering from Maranello.
“Unfettered by homologation and racing regulations, the FXX K will never be used in competition. It was, in fact, developed to be completely uncompromising, incorporating technological innovations that will guarantee an unprecedented driving experience to the exclusive group of Client-Test Drivers with whom the Prancing Horse will roll out a test programme over the coming two years” says Ferrari’s press release. To that end, the FXX K is powered by a 6.3-liter V12 that makes 848 hp, up from 789 in the standard LaFerrari, by way of new camshafts, mechanical tappets, redesigned intake manifolds and a straight-through exhaust system (!).
Combined with an electric motor that makes 187 horsepower instead of the standard 160, the grand total rings in at a fairly astounding 1035 horsepower, with torque promised to be “in excess of 664 lb-ft”, though that number is actually 51 pound-feet lower than the standard LaFerrari’s. While performance figures have yet to be announced, with the standard car’s sub 3-second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 217 miles per hour, it’s safe to say the FXX K will be extremely quick.
To look at the FXX K it’s obvious that there’s more to this package that a simple boost in power. Lessons learned from the company’s successful GT racing program are evidenced in the two-part front splitter, vertical fins along the flank and rear, massive rear diffuser, and dynamic rear wing. All told, these modifications contribute as much as 50 percent more downforce in the ‘low drag’ setting and 30% more at max.
Pirelli racing slicks and 15-inch carbon ceramic brake discs at all four corners help to further bolster the FXX K’s considerable capability, while a recalibrated e-diff, revised traction control system and a four-mode Manetinno dial on the center console which allows the driver to select between different levels of electric boost depending on the performance demands should help to shave down lap times considerably from the road-going car.
Just 32 examples of the FXX K will be built, all with a minimum price tag of $2.7 million. If that’s a little too rich for your blood, you need not worry, as every FXX K has already been spoken for anyway.
We’ll have more on Ferrari’s latest entry into the FXX roster as additional information is released. In the meantime, be sure to check out the video below of the FXX K being put through its paces at the Yas Marina F1 circuit in Abu Dhabi, and have look at press release after that for more details on the Ferrari FXX K.
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE FXX K AT THE FERRARI FINALI MONDIALI IN ABU DHABI
Maranello, 3rd December 2014 – Ferrari’s new FXX K research and development programme receives its world premiere next weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The laboratory-car is based on Maranello’s first hybrid model and will grace the world’s tracks from next year onwards. The K in its moniker is a reference to the "KERS" kinetic energy recovery system it adopts in maximising its track performance.
Unfettered by homologation and racing regulations, the FXX K will never be used in competition. It was, in fact, developed to be completely uncompromising, incorporating technological innovations that will guarantee an unprecedented driving experience to the exclusive group of Client-Test Drivers with whom the Prancing Horse will roll out a test programme over the coming two years.
The car’s enormous potential is attested to by two significant figures: a total power output of 1050 cv (860 cv delivered by its conventional V12 engine and 190 by its electric motor) and maximum torque in excess of 900 Nm.
The FXX K’s 6262 cc V12 features new camshafts and a modified valve train with mechanical rather than hydraulic tappets. The intake manifolds have been redesigned and given a special type of polishing treatment. The exhaust system has been modified as its silencers have been eliminated.
The HY-KERS system has been evolved specifically for pure performance with the result that the driver can control the function logics from the specific 4-setting Manettino on the centre console: Qualify, for maximum performance within a limited number of laps; Long Run to optimise performance consistency; Manual Boost for instant maximum torque delivery; and Fast Charge, for a fast recharge of the car’s battery.
A focus on delivering maximum efficiency at every stage of every track lap has resulted in extensive but integrated work on the entire car body in terms of both active and passive aerodynamics.
The front of the car is dominated by a twin-profile spoiler and a larger splitter, which is 30 mm lower, with a gap in its centre. This design is an application of the concepts developed to improve aero balance in the GT category of the WEC, which Ferrari has won for three consecutive years. Two pairs of vertical elements, an endplate and, externally, a dive plane, together with vertical fins channel the air towards the car’s flanks, generating a longitudinal vortex that creates a localised depression. This in turn sucks the wake from the wheels to the outside of the aerodynamic underbody. Along with the side skirts that extend out from the sills, the vortex helps isolate the airflow from the underbody to boost its efficiency.
The solutions on the rear of the car are highly sophisticated, too. The tail section is now higher and the mobile spoiler extends further for a total increase in extension of 60mm when fully deployed. A vertical fin and a small wing each side of the tail act as guide vanes in the low drag configuration and boost the spoiler’s efficiency in the high downforce one. This system also creates considerable downforce at the rear of the car, allowing the use of an extreme diffusion volume for the rear diffuser which optimises air extraction from the underbody. The section of the flat underbody just ahead of the rear wheels is also exploited to the full to generate downforce thanks to the reduced pressure in the wheel arch guaranteed by the direct connection to the rear of the car by a by-pass duct.
The result is a 50% improvement in downforce in the low drag configuration and a 30% improvement in the more aggressive downforce configuration, resulting in a figure of 540 kg at 200 km/h.
Vehicle dynamics are further improved by the adoption of Pirelli slicks complete with sensors that monitor longitudinal, lateral and radial acceleration, as well as temperature and pressure. This ensures an accurate analysis of the interaction between the tyre and track surface, providing even more vital data to enable the traction control system to guarantee maximum performance.
The intervention level of the E-Diff electronic differential, F1-Trac traction control, Racing SSC (Side Slip Angle Control) – now specially calibrated to suit the car’s slick tyres – and the high-performance ABS can be controlled using the five-position Manettino on the steering wheel.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
KERS system
Total maximum power 1050 cv
Total maximum torque >900 Nm
V12 maximum power* 860 cv @ 9200 rpm
Maximum revs 9250 rpm
V12 maximum torque 750 Nm @ 6500 rpm
Electric motor output 140 Kw (190 cv)
ICE
Type 65-deg. V12
Bore and stroke 94 x 75.2 mm
Total displacement 6262 cc
Specific power 137 cv/l
Dimensions
Length 4896 mm
Width 2051 mm
Height 1116 mm
Wheelbase 2650 mm
Gearbox
7-speed DCT
Suspension
Front double wishbones
Rear multi-link
Tyres (Pirelli P-Zero slicks with sensors)
Front 285/650 – R19 x10.5
Rear 345/725 – R20x13
Carbon ceramic brakes (Brembo)
Front 398 x 223 x 36 mm
Rear 380 x 253 x 34 mm
Electronic controls
ESC stability control
High perf ABS/EBD Performance anti-lock system/electronic brake balance
EF1-Trac F1 electronic traction control integrated with the hybrid system
E-Diff 3 third generation electronic differential
SCM-E Frs magnetorheological damping with twin solenoids (Al-Ni tube)
Aerodynamics active
* with dynamic ram effect