With only 30 examples produced and with an asking price of over €2 million, the Ferrari FXX was designed to be the ultimate prototype race car from Ferrari, a car that goes beyond almost everything the Enzo was capable of.

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Photos: Ferrari

The Ferrari FXX

The FXX was produced throughout 2005 with a price of €2,350,000, and the customer was allowed to keep the car in their own possession. However, the car was only allowed to be driven during special track days organised by Ferrari. These track days are known as the XX program. This programme allows Ferrari to check and prepare each car before they hit the track as well as the collection of data and telemetry by Ferrari engineers.

29 examples of the FXX were produced by Ferrari, with the 30th and final example of the original FXX going to Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver at the time, Michael Schumacher. Maserati and Lamborghini have also produced similar models and programmes to the FXX and the XX programme, with the MC12 Versione Corsa and Essenza SCV12 models.

Despite being based heavily on the Enzo, the FXX features a bigger F140 V12 engine, up from the 6.0-L found in the original Enzo to 6.3-L. The power is also increased, up from 651 bhp to 789 bhp. The FXX also incorporates a gearbox design from Scuderia Ferrari, with a shift time of 100 milliseconds.

Schumacher’s FXX

Out of the 30 original models produced by Ferrari in 2005, the thirtieth and final model was specifically produced to be presented to Michael Schumacher. The car, along with Michael’s Enzo Ferrari were presented to the seven-time Formula One champion when he retired from the sport and the Scuderia Ferrari team at the end of 2006.

As the car was a special model of the FXX, it bears several differences to the other 29 examples. The car itself was painted black with none of the stripes seen on the other models, with matte exhaust tips rather than the original chrome ones. The seats inside the car also had Schumacher’s racing logo stitched onto them.

The car featured on a 2009 episode of Top Gear, where it was lapped around the show’s test track by The Stig at a time of 1:10.7. Schumacher was later revealed to be The Stig in the same episode, but it was later learned that this was a set up between Schumacher and the show’s producers as Ferrari would not allow any driver but Schumacher drive the FXX around the circuit.

Ferrari FXX Evoluzione

With the continuation of the XX programme and it’s use of the FXX until 2009, the FXX Evoluzione was introduced in 2007, bringing together a range of developments and improvements over the original FXX.

Numerous improvements over the original FXX were made, including an increase in power to 848 bhp, as well as changes to the gearbox to allow the car a quicker gear shift of 60 milliseconds.  The FXX Evoluzione is able to accelerate to 100 km/h from a standstill in 2.5 seconds, while other changes and improvements to the aerodynamics and traction control was made to allow the car to be more responsive on track.

The XX programme continues today and is still organised by Ferrari, allowing customers to drive cars from the FXX and FXX Evoluzione to the more modern FXX-K, a prototype based off the Ferrari LaFerrari. Recent circuits the XX programme has visited include Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit Paul Ricard and Mugello.

Written by Cóilín Higgins.