Ferrari today presented the Ferrari KC23, the latest addition to the One-Off series belonging to the Special Projects programme.
The car, designed at the request of a prominent Prancing Horse collector, represents a bold and extreme vision of the future of the covered-wheel racing car and reinterprets the lines of the 488 GT3, the most successful racing car of 76 years history of the House of Maranello, in its ‘Evo 2020’ version.
The KC23 succeeds in the double feat of captivating with its elegance when seen from a standstill, but at the same time thrilling once it hits the track thanks to groundbreaking aerodynamic choices, such as automatically opening air intakes and an imposing rear wing.
Ferrari KC23
Photo by: Ferrari
The KC23, designed and styled by the Ferrari Style Center under the direction of Flavio Manzoni, is based on the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 from which it inherits setup, chassis and engine.
The donor car of this project is truly a car like no other: on the track since 2016 and updated three years ago with the ‘Evo 2020’ kit, it boasts over 530 victories and 119 championships won, making it the most successful Ferrari in history. set in the most important endurance races in the world.
Given the extreme nature of its engine, chassis and dynamic set-up, the KC23 is designed exclusively for non-competitive use on the track, and its main peculiarity lies in the dual configuration that sets it apart.
While the layout of the car when stationary, in fact, allows it to show off its pure, streamlined and sinuous forms, when it takes to the track, protruding air intakes with automated opening and an imposing and breathtaking rear wing are revealed .
Ferrari KC23
Photo by: Ferrari
From the very first moments of the project’s life, the Ferrari Style Center undertook, in agreement with the customer, to create a unique, extreme car free from homologation constraints, which would immediately become a classic with timeless lines and at the same time open up a glimpse into the future of the world of super sports cars. This challenging goal led to the review of every single line of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020, glass surfaces and light clusters included.
The desired effect was that of a unitary and monolithic car body. The path was therefore taken to hide some technical functions of the car, in particular the side air intakes, making them open automatically when the central-rear twin-turbo V8 engine is turned on. In this way, the KC23 is prefigured as a living car, whose forms change according to the use to which it is being made. The rear wing is also removable, in order to achieve maximum formal cleanliness with the engine off.
The treatment of the surfaces is fluid and the edges are reduced to a minimum, to accentuate the essentiality and sinuosity of the KC23 in search of iconicity and a futuristic design capable of passing the test of time. However, when the car is ready for its descent on the track and the engine is turned on, his face changes radically, increasing his aggressiveness and racing attitude. Impossible not to notice the rear wing which unequivocally qualifies the KC23 as a racing car, born to attack the curbs and transfer all the horsepower of the V8 that pushes it to the asphalt.
From the point of view of downforce and thermals, intense work has been carried out to keep the car’s performance at the level of that of the donor car despite the completely different silhouette of the two cars.
Panels equipped with ad hoc kinematic mechanisms have therefore been created which are activated automatically when the KC23 is switched on: the one behind the front wheel uncovers a flow diverter which increases the front vertical load and maintains the aerodynamic balance adequate, while the one at the rear guarantees the of air necessary for the cooling of the intercooler and ancillary components, as well as for the engine intake.
Also noteworthy are the vertically opening doors hinged on a single arm, an architecture shared with the iconic LaFerrari supercar; however, this modification did not mean any modification to the greenhouse or to the other structural parts of the car.
Ferrari KC23
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari KC23
Photo by: Ferrari
The front mudguard is equipped with a simplified opening system, which allows inspection and maintenance of the front by simply removing two pins. The light clusters have also been redesigned both at the front and in particular at the rear, where methacrylate light blades inspired by the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo concept car provide a surprising effect when switched on.
Even the windows of the car were influenced by the design philosophy of the KC23: their seamless assembly hides pillars, gaskets and serigraphs from view, creating a dome effect clearly derived from the aeronautics industry, while their metallic finish allows them to blend in with the car body for a futuristic effect of sure impact.
Another element that catches the attention of those who observe the KC23 is its Gold Mercury colour, a specially developed four-layer paint with an aluminum base. The liquid metal contained in it makes it very bright when irradiated by sunlight and allows it to change tone depending on the type and angle of the light that strikes it, for an exceptionally captivating result.
The interiors have been kept as essential as possible and similar to those of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020, with the exception of the door panels and passenger side dashboard trim. The specific seats, upholstered in Alcantara® with electro-welded logo, give the passenger compartment an elegant look, perfectly integrated with that of the exterior. Rear visibility is guaranteed by a video camera system which has brought great aerodynamic advantages thanks to the removal of the classic rear-view mirrors, as well as preserving the lines of the side.
Ferrari KC23
Photo by: Ferrari
The car is equipped with two sets of specially designed rims: the 18″ one will serve the KC23 to amaze the public on circuits around the world, while the 21″ front and 22″ rear will allow it to express all its class in static configuration.
The latest addition to the Prancing Horse, whose design phase took over three years, thus becomes part of the most exclusive segment of the range which includes unique cars, outlined and created by the Ferrari Style Center starting from a customer’s requests, positioning itself at the apex of the customization possibilities offered by the House of Maranello.
From 13 to 16 July next, the new car will be the protagonist of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the most important motoring events in the United Kingdom, where it will make its first public appearance. From 1 August to 2 October, however, the car will be exhibited at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello to the delight of all enthusiasts who wish to admire its extraordinary formal and engineering solutions up close.
Ferrari KC23
Photo by: Ferrari
SPECIAL PROJECTS
The Special Projects program is aimed at the creation of unique Ferrari cars, called One-Offs and characterized by an exclusive design developed on the basis of customer requests, who thus become the owner of a one-of-a-kind model.
Each project starts from the client’s idea, developed together with a team of designers from the Centro Stile Ferrari; after having defined the design aspects, we move on to the creation of detailed technical drawings and a scale model, before starting the construction of the single car.
The process takes about a couple of years, during which the customer is involved in all phases of development and design verification. The result of this activity is a unique Ferrari, which boasts the Prancing Horse logo and is built according to the standards of excellence that characterize the production of all the cars of the Maranello House.
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