KC23 is a one-off track "unicorn" from Ferrari
BY PETER BARNWELL
TALK about bespoke – Ferrari’s 488 GT3 Evo-based, V8-powered track toy, called the KC23, is allegedly the only one on the planet.
It was commissioned by a “leading” Ferrari collector, presumably with the initials ‘KC’.
The Italian supercar maker recently unveiled the sensuous KC23 after three years in development leveraging the highly successful 488 GT3 Evo 2020 – a car with over 530 race wins and 119 championship titles to its name.
The sexy two-seater was built by Ferrari’ Special Projects group and, Ferrari being Ferrari, it will probably encapsulate what the future of the brand’s closed-wheel racers “might” look like.
The Fazza “unicorn” is finished in a special four-layer Gold Mercury aluminium-based paint that is designed to make the KC23 appear as if it we “sculpted from a single block of metal”.
Emphasising the visual statement are several clever styling cues aimed at concealing some of the more necessary functional elements of the vehicle.
“From the very earliest days of the project, and in agreement with the client, the Ferrari Styling Centre focused on creating a radical one-off car completely free of homologation constraints and clothed in the kind of timeless lines that would make (it) an instant classic while also providing a tantalising glimpse into the future of supercars,” said Ferrari Styling Centre head, Flavio Manzoni.
“That challenging goal demanded that every single one of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020’s lines be redesigned, glass surfaces and light clusters included.”
Lighting is via LED light bars front and rear and motorised side vents extend automatically when the car is fired up.
The large rear wing can be removed when the vehicle is on display and the 18-inch racing wheels swapped for staggered 21-inch front / 22-inch rear wheels for “civvy” driving.
Adding to aerodynamic efficiency are cameras and screens that replace traditional wing mirrors while inside, the KC23 includes hand-made door panels and Alcantara upholstery in what is otherwise a standard 488 GT3 cockpit.
Borrowed from the 488GT3 race car’s engine bay is the same 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 mill that’s good for 447kW at 7000rpm and 700Nm at 6000rpm in “standard” trim.
Drive is to the rear wheels through a Getrag-sourced seven-speed sequential gearbox.
In hard numbers, the KC23 can clock a 0-100km/h time close to the donor 488GT3 car which means something in the vicinity of 2.8 seconds – on route to a v-max of 340km/h.
The Ferrari KC23 is made a public debut at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed to a rapturous audience before going on display in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello until October.
After that, we assume ‘KC’ will get to put the car through its paces on track.
And we are looking forward to seeing that!
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