Ferrari FXX Ferrari decided to use some of the technology developed for the Enzo in a small-scale program to get more feedback from certain customers for use in future car design as well as their racing program. The core of this program is the Ferrari FXX, introduced in 2005. It was loosely based on the Enzo's design with a highly tuned 6.3-liter version of the Enzo's engine generating a power output of approximately . The gearbox is specially developed for the car as well as the tires (custom-designed for this car by
Bridgestone) along with the brakes (developed by
Brembo). In addition, the car is fitted with extensive data-recording and telemetry systems to allow Ferrari to record the car's behavior. This information is used by Ferrari to develop their future sports cars. The FXX can do in 2.8 seconds. Like the Enzo, the car was sold to specially selected existing clients of Ferrari only. The initial price was €1.3 million. Unlike the Enzo, the clients did not take delivery of the car themselves. Rather, it is maintained and kept by Ferrari and available for the client's use on various circuits as arranged by Ferrari and also during private track sessions. A famous example of this is when Ferrari allowed Top Gear to send it around their test track in 2009; however, as
Ben Collins (then portraying
The Stig) was not a specially selected client,
Michael Schumacher was selected to wear the white race suit. In the FXX, he set a then new lap record of 1:10.7, a record which was then immediately taken off as the car is not expected to be suitable for road use. The Ferrari FXX program was continued until 2009 with the Ferrari FXX Evoluzione.
Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina Italian design studio
Pininfarina had wanted to make a special one-off sports car based on the Enzo Ferrari flagship and was looking for a backer. After sending out feelers to its clients, American Ferrari collector
James Glickenhaus eventually agreed to back the project by commissioning his car as a modern homage to great Ferrari sports racing cars such as the
330 P3/4, 512 S, 312 P, and 333 SP on the last unregistered U.S.-spec Enzo chassis. The car was named the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina, and retains the Enzo's drivetrain and
vehicle identification number. The car was unveiled at the 2006
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and appeared in the September issue of
Car and Driver. After its unveiling at Pebble Beach, the P4/5 returned to Europe for high-speed testing, press days, and an appearance at the
Paris Auto Show in September 2006. Upon seeing the P4/5, the then Ferrari president
Luca di Montezemolo felt that the car deserved to be officially badged as a Ferrari and along with Andrea Pininfarina and James Glickenhaus agreed that its official name would be "Ferrari P 4/5 by Pininfarina". Ted West wrote an article in
Car and Driver about how this came to be "The Beast of Turin". The MC12 is slower in acceleration (0–100 km/h or 0–62 mph being achieved in 3.8 seconds), and has a lower top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph) due to engine tuning and less drag coefficient (due to a sharper nose and smoother curves) than the Enzo Ferrari; however, the MC12 has lapped race tracks faster than the Enzo before, specifically on the UK motoring show
Top Gear, and the Nurbürgring Nordschleife. This could be attributed to the MC12's Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires which have more grip than the Enzo's Bridgestone Scuderia tires.
Maserati Birdcage 75th |alt= The Maserati Birdcage 75th is a
concept car created by automobile manufacturer
Maserati and designed by
Pininfarina, as a celebration of
Pininfarina's 75th
anniversary, and was introduced at the
2005 Geneva Auto Show. It is an evolution of the MC12 and draws inspiration from the
Maserati Tipo Birdcages of the 1960s. There were rumors that Maserati was going to produce the car as the MC13, for which Maserati confirmed to have plans, but they were cancelled due to problems with Pininfarina giving Maserati total control over the design of the car.
Maserati MC12 Versione Corse The Maserati MC12 Versione Corse is a variant of the MC12 intended for
racetrack use. In contrast to the race version of the MC12, of which street-legal versions were produced for homologation purposes, the MC12 Versione Corse is intended for private use, albeit restricted to the track, as the Versione Corse's modifications make it illegal to drive on the road. The Versione Corse was developed directly from the MC12 GT1, which won the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers Cup. The car was released in mid-2006, "in response to the customer demand to own the MC12 racing car and fueled by the growth in track days, where owners can drive their cars at high speeds in the safety of a race track", as stated by Edward Butler, General Manager for Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. In similar fashion to the
Ferrari FXX, although the owners are private individuals, Maserati is responsible for the storage, upkeep, and maintenance of the cars, and they are only driven on specially organized
track days. Unlike the FXX, the MC12 Corsa is not intended for research and development, and is used only for entertainment. A single MC12 Versione Corse has been modified by its owner to make it
street-legal the conversion was carried out by German tuning firm Edo Competition. The Versione Corse shares its engine with the MC12 GT1; the power plant produces at 8,000 rpm, more than the road-legal MC12. The MC12 Versione Corse shares the GT1's shortened nose, which was a requirement for entry into the
American Le Mans Series. The car was available in a single standard colour, named "Blue Victory", though the car's paint could be customized upon request. The Millechili was developed in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Millechili Lab is a cross-project in which students are working on light-weight car design.
Ferrari FXX Evoluzione The Ferrari FXX program continued until 2009. The car continued to be improved under the Evoluzione kit, which continually adjusts specifics to generate more power and quicker gear changes, along with reducing the car's
aerodynamic drag. The
V12 engine under the Evoluzione kit generates at 9,500 rpm and enables the car to accelerate from in 2.5 seconds. Certain changes were made to the
gearbox in order to reduce the shift time to 60 milliseconds per shift, a reduction of 20 milliseconds over the original FXX. The car also underwent aerodynamic changes and improvements to the
traction control system were made in order to make the car more responsive around the track. The modifications also allow the Evoluzione to reach a top speed of . ==References==