Ferrari on Tuesday revealed the latest creation developed via the Special Projects program, the KC23.
The one-off car is strictly for track use, as it is based on the platform of Ferrari’s 488 GT3 Evo race car. However, it was designed to have a timeless shape free of any homologation constraints. The resulting design shares nothing with the donor car, glass surfaces and lights included.
Naturally, performance was also a must for the customer. Ferrari’s solution was to rely on active aerodynamics to keep the car free of the various aerodynamic attachments normally found on track-focused cars. For example, panels behind the front wheel arches extend when the car’s engine is switched on, helping to create downforce. A panel at the rear meanwhile provides the correct amount of intake air to the intercoolers and other components in the engine bay, as well as to the engine itself.
For extreme track driving, front vents are opened, while a fixed wing is manually attached at the rear. A set of 18-inch wheels are also used for track driving instead of the more polished set the car has been designed with for display at concours-style events, which measure 21 inches at the front and 22 at the rear.
Other interesting elements of the design include the butterfly doors, similar to what Ferrari used on the LaFerrari, as well as glass surfaces that are seamlessly integrated with the body, with no visible pillars, frames or seals. It’s also hard to notice the paint job, a four-layer aluminum finish called Gold Mercury.
As is common with Ferrari’s one-off cars, the mechanical bits have been left untouched. It means you’ll find a twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V-8 mounted behind the cabin. It delivers a peak 591 hp to the rear wheels via a sequential transmission.
Ferrari will present the KC23 to the public for the first time at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, which gets underway in the U.K. on Thursday.
Ferrari’s Special Projects program results in one-off cars for loyal customers, as well as low-volume offerings such as the Icona Series’ Daytona SP3 supercar and Monza speedsters. For the one-off cars, the process takes around two years on average, during which time the customer, who needs to be invited to take part, is closely involved throughout.
