The 2008 Ferrari FXX
Why It's Special:
Beginning production in 2005, the Ferrari FXX encompasses the very best of everything that Ferrari has to offer. In addition to the awe inspiring design and stunning levels of technology, Ferrari has developed a unique customer-client test program that will allow further development of the platform and also allow new technologies to be tested for supercars of the future.
Essentially each owner becomes an amateur Ferrari test driver, a truly unique program in the automotive industry. Sounds like a dream job right? Of course there is a catch, even if you have the 1.8 million dollars (excluding tax) to buy the car your application still has to be approved by an internal committee.
On top of it all, only thirty FXX’s were built and only twenty-nine were offered for public consumption. The last FXX was given to seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher as a retirement gift from Ferrari.
Under the Hood:
As you would expect with a 1.8 million dollar car, the FXX’s specifications and performance are mind-blowing. For starters, Ferrari bored-out the V12 engine found in the Enzo, settling on a new displacement of 6.3 liters. Then the redline was increased to an ear-piercing 8500 rpm. In case you wondered, no that isn’t a typo, the FXX really does have a 6.3 liter engine which spins at 8500 rpm.
The result is 789 horsepower and 506 ft-lbs of torque, a modest 139 horsepower increase over the Enzo! The latest in Ferrari’s sequential paddle-shift technology results in shift times of 80 milliseconds, virtually on par with Formula 1 cars of a couple years ago. This figure includes disengaging the clutch, switching gears and re-engaging the clutch. With a curb weight of just over 2700 lbs (1227 kgs) the acceleration figures are staggering, 0-60 mph is done in 2.8 seconds and flat out you will hit 217 mph.
The Verdict:
As if the numbers aren’t impressive enough, the FXX accelerates that quickly while producing 40% more downforce than the Enzo! Perhaps the best way to summarize the FXX is taking a look at the lap times it can turn. Around the 1.86 miles of hallowed bends at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track it is capable of a 1 minute 16 second lap time, an average speed of 89 mph. This puts it a full six seconds clear of the Enzo and only 17 seconds a lap slower than the Ferrari F2007 Grand Prix car! Go to youtube.com and watch some of the speed comparisons between road cars and Grand Prix cars, and you will begin to see how blisteringly fast this car actually is.
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