Ferrari, fresh from a high after a fairy-tale win at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, has unveiled its latest one-off creation from its Special Projects department, the KC23.
This is based on the Italian squad’s 488 GT3 Evo 2020 race car that competes in the World Endurance Championship. The KC23 follows Ferrari’s tradition of building bespoke one-off models for its most valued clientele, such as the GTC4 Lusso-inspired BR20, the front-engined 812 GTS-inspired SP51, and last year’s F8 Tributo-based SP48 Unica.
What sets the KC23 apart from previous recent one-offs is that the latest machine is intended for noncompetitive track use.
Think of it as a GT3 car with a more stylish and futuristic skin, devoid of restrictions and Balance of Performance limitations typical in sports car racing. The design points at the possible future direction for the Maranello-based firm.
Powering the KC23 is a 3.9-liter, flat-plane twin-turbo V8. In GT3 guise, it makes a maximum of 591hp and 700Nm as per FIA GT3 regulations.
Ferrari has been mum on the KC23’s output, but we feel that in full race trim devoid of the inlet restrictors on the GT3 variant, the one-off model can easily eclipse the road-going 488 Pista’s output, which is 711hp and 770Nm.
The drive is, of course, sent to the rear wheels via a sequential transmission.
Movable electronically controlled panels on each flank, coupled with a massive rear wing, provide an aerodynamic advantage at high speeds. The large wheels are gorgeous two-piece forged aluminum pieces with racing-style center-lock hubs.
Inside, the KC23’s interior looks straight out of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 race car, with fixed bucket seats, a comprehensive roll cage, a plethora of buttons, a Manettino half-moon racing-style steering wheel with even more buttons, and three small LCD screens that take the place of the rear and side-view mirrors.
An air-conditioning system is perhaps the only compromise to some comfort on a hot track day while waiting to exit the paddock.
No other details were given, but it will make its debut with a run up the Earl of March’s driveway in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which started on July 13 and will continue until tomorrow (July 16).
Afterward, it will be on display at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello from August 1 to October 2. We can’t wait to catch glimpses of the KC23 making a run up the hill on various social media clips, its sonorous V8 wail heralding the arrival of a futuristic Ferrari.
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