This isn’t a race car, nor is it street-legal, and neither does it qualify for any official competition series, and yet, the 599XX Evoluzione, or Evo, might be one of the most extreme Ferraris of the modern era. Created under the obsessive umbrella of the brand’s XX Programme that launched back in ‘05, this machine was designed purely to defy the laws of physics and chase lap times on the race track.
For those unaware, the FXX Programme invited the Ferrari brand’s most loyal and capable clients to act as development partners. As a buyer of one of these extreme machines, you didn’t get to take the car home. Instead, you became a Corse Clienti member. Ferrari housed, transported, and maintained the cars for you while getting you track access at exclusive events around the globe. Think circuits like Silverstone, Nürburgring, Daytona, Mugello, Bahrain, and more. In return, you offered real-time feedback that Ferrari’s engineers would eventually integrate into future designs and models.
The FXX itself was a re-engineered Enzo, stripped away of any road pretensions. Later came the 599XX and its wild sibling, the 599XX Evo. It was followed by the FXX K, based on the LaFerrari, and the even more extreme FXX K Evo. Each was built in minuscule numbers, and each, a rolling testbed for Ferrari’s bleeding-edge tech.
Which is why the sale of a 599XX Evo, like the one seen here, is a big deal. This 2010 Rosso Fuoco (red) with silver example wears the number 44, a number associated with current Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Ironic, since Hamilton was still racing for McLaren when the 599XX came out. The car is being offered by RM Sotheby’s and is one of just 50 built, and even fewer received the Evo kit. Unveiled in 2011, the Evo package added a carbon fiber rear wing with active Drag Reduction System, redesigned aero front and rear, and recalibrated suspension.
It also marked one of Ferrari’s first uses of active aerodynamics, featuring a twin-profile rear wing equipped with a Formula One-style Drag Reduction System (DRS). Controlled by onboard sensors, the system adjusted in real time to throttle input, steering angle, and yaw to balance downforce (up to 970 pounds at 124 mph) and minimize drag at high speeds.
At its heart is a 6.0-liter V12, a highly-strung evolution of the 599 GTB Fiorano’s Enzo-derived engine. In the GTB, this unit could be paired with a gated six-speed box, making it the last front-engined Ferrari to offer a manual transmission. But here on this EVO-equipped 599XX, the output has been dialed up to 740 horsepower from the standard 599’s 612 horsepower, and even the base 599XX’s 720 horsepower.
The extensive weight loss has also resulted in shaving 77 pounds of the 599XX’s 3,350-pound curb weight. The result is a 1:15 lap time around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track, which is three seconds quicker when compared to the non-evo 599XX and easily ahead of the Ferrari Enzo and several other purpose-built GT racers.
But beyond the incredible pace, the sound on the 599XX EVO has been amplified even further, as the side-mounted exhausts were redesigned to reduce backpressure and deliver a sharper, more violent scream at 9,000 rpm. New Pirelli slicks boosted cornering grip, and every system, from throttle mapping to braking calibration, was tuned for maximum attack.
Given it’s extremely limited production run of just 50 examples, this Evo-spec 599XX represents one of the rarest and most advanced front-engined Ferraris ever made. A rare opportunity to acquire something truly unique, purpose-built, and born from Ferrari’s most exclusive engineering program.
Source: RM Sotheby’s, Ferrari