Upon completing production of its legendary millennial hypercar, the venerable Enzo, Ferrari was left with one daunting challenge—how to possibly improve it. Impressed with the success of the popular Challenge Series, Ferrari and its Corse Clienti division concluded that a market existed for a limited-production track-only Ferrari supercar that wasn’t necessarily intended for racing.

By creating a special customer-offered development car, Ferrari could not only reward loyal buyers but simultaneously forge a new approach to creating its next benchmark hypercar. These cutting-edge quasi-test cars would be offered only to special, preferred clients, who would enjoy a unique experience collaborating with the factory to develop Maranello’s next generation of road cars.

During the summer of 2005, Ferrari privately introduced loyal clients to prototypes of what would become the FXX, largely to gauge interest. The basis for the FXX was of course the Enzo, that instantly identifiable flagship speed machine that distilled Formula 1 technologies and styling into a street-legal road car. The resemblance between the two models is clear in the nose, front wings, and cockpit section, while the FXX features a longer tail treatment with aerofoils to add 40 per cent more downforce at speed than the Enzo.

In the form of the FXX, the Enzo’s rear-mounted dry-sump 6.0-litre V-12 was increased to 6.3 litres and retuned to develop 800 PS at a screaming 8,500 rpm. A staggering 506 pound-feet of torque arrived at a comparably modest 5,570 rpm, capable of launching the FXX to 100 km/h from standstill in a shocking 2.7 seconds. The model featured a revised Formula 1 gearbox delivering sub-100-millisecond shifts, which transmitted power via a sophisticated traction-control system, taking the FXX to a hair-raising top speed of 345 km/h. Needless to say, these performance metrics remain strongly competitive even 20 years later.

Stopping power was further developed from the Enzo, with the former model’s Brembo carbon fibre-reinforced silicon-carbide-ceramic-composite disc brakes revised with an all-new pad design and custom-made cooling elements. Tyre technology was also addressed with new proprietary 19-inch slicks from Bridgestone. Of course, as the FXX was envisioned as a test-bed program, collecting data was of paramount importance, so the model was equipped with a new Magneti Marelli dash panel with onboard telemetry instruments that recorded performance data in real time.

Formally introduced to the public at the 2005 Bologna Motor Show, the FXX was initially allocated for a build run of just 29 examples, although a 30th car was given to Scuderia Ferrari champion driver Michael Schumacher upon his first retirement from Formula 1 at the end of 2006. A small number of post-production units built for a handful of favoured clientele then brought total production to approximately 38 cars, giving the FXX an extraordinary level of rarity, even by the standards of a modern Ferrari flagship. Particularly notable today as we celebrate the FXX Programme’s 20th anniversary, the FXX is not merely notable as one of Ferrari’s most ferocious track-only speed machines but as a unique development car that paved the way for successive thoroughbred hypercars such as the LaFerrari and the current F80.

MY BLU HEAVEN

Chassis number 161517 is the third-to-last car built, and was sold new in Rosso Corsa to a collector based in Hong Kong. The car was initially decorated with #88 and of course retained by the factory with the other FXX examples for owners to retrieve for Corse Clienti FXX-programme events.

Chassis 161517 was delivered new in full Evo specification, which included a remapped engine management for a bump in power, new transmission software for even quicker shifts, improved traction control and onboard telemetry, and revised bodywork for even more downforce compared to the standard version. This FXX entered The Tailored For Speed Collection in 2020, with the race number now changed to #60 and a Blu Corsa Opaco wrap applied to coordinate the colour scheme with the other XX cars. The car has only been driven in a handful of Corse Clienti events, with the most recent outing being the 2024 Finali Mondiali at Imola. After that event, Ferrari has prepared a detailed technical report that is available on file.

Displaying 2,711 kilometres on its odometer at the time of cataloguing, this thunderously powerful Ferrari development special offers track thrills beyond compare, inviting the next caretaker to indulge in visceral hot laps, or beam with pride at important exhibition opportunities. It is undeniably one of Ferrari’s most-celebrated modern masterpieces.

Despite Ferrari’s incredible Grand Prix record, arguably its most legendary accomplishments have arrived in the arena of sportscar racing. Through to 1974, the marque amassed 15 World Sportscar Championship titles, eight victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, seven Mille Miglia wins, and seven more triumphs in the Targa Florio. Not to mention the three consecutive Le Mans successes secured since making its La Sarthe return in 2023.

However, a year after winning the 1972 championship with the celebrated 312 PB, a dismal 1973 campaign prompted Ferrari to withdraw from sportscar racing altogether to bolster its F1 operation. It would be two decades before, in 1993, the manufacturer signalled its long-awaited return with the unveiling of a prototype spider intended to compete in the open-cockpit World Sports Car class in the forthcoming 1994 IMSA GT season.

Development was spurred by racing privateer and loyal Ferrari customer Gianpiero Moretti—the founder of the Momo automotive accessories manufacturer—with support from Ferrari North America CEO Gianluigi Longinotti-Buitoni. The resulting car, the 333 SP, was to become Ferrari’s only modern sports racing prototype for nearly half a century. It was a spiritual descendent of the ultra-successful “P” series from the 1960s and early 1970s. including legends such as the 250 P, 275P, 330 P2, 330 P4, and 312 PB—all World Championship winners.

The 333 SP was engineered collaboratively, with Dallara Automobili spearheading aerodynamic research while Michelotto was entrusted with much of the build process. Following completion of an initial prototype by Michelotto, Dallara assumed build responsibilities for chassis numbers 002 through 014, after which Michelotto completed the balance of 40 total cars.

Engineered with F1-derived racing technologies, the 333 SP was built around a flat-bottomed carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The model utilised conventional double-wishbone suspension with pushrod-operated coil springs. WSC regulations required engines to be production based and of no more than a 4.0-litre capacity, allowing Ferrari to install its acclaimed 4.0-litre V-12 F310E, effectively a long-stroke version of the “Type 036” Formula 1 motor of 1990. A similar version of this powertrain would also be used in the F50, albeit at a slightly larger displacement.

Ferrari’s return to sportscar racing was immediately successful, resulting in five wins from seven IMSA rounds contested in 1994. In 1995, the 333 SP was victorious in the 12 Hours of Sebring and won both IMSA Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles. Although, the car’s finest outing was undoubtedly the 1998 Daytona 24 Hours: the Momo team delivered Ferrari’s first win in the event since 1967. By the time of its final official outing in 2002, the 333 SP had participated in over 350 races, winning more than 50 and taking 12 major championships in the process. Until the 2022 testing of the 499P, the 333 SP was Maranello’s only prototype sportscars of the modern era. It justifiably holds an important position in Ferrari’s long and storied racing history.

A CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER

Boasting significant competition use during a championship-winning season by a famed French privateer team and authenticated with Ferrari Classiche certification, this 333 SP is a particularly desirable example. Completed in 1998, chassis number 023 is the 22nd example built by chassis number (with superstition leading to chassis 013 being skipped) and the 8th car completed in the Michelotto production run.

Originally sold to Noël Del Bello Racing in October 1998, the 333 SP remained unused until it was acquired the following year by Jean-Pierre Jabouille. A long-time driver and development engineer who broke through with Renault in the late 1970s, Jabouille went on to manage Peugeot’s F1 team during the early 1990s before co-founding JB Racing in 1995. The team ran in the FIA GT Championship until the proliferation of factory entries prompted a shift to prototype racing in the International Sports Racing Series in 1998. JB Racing then dropped Marlboro sponsorship and struck a new partnership with Italian manufacturing firm Giesse, for which a distinctive green, white, and red livery was designed.

For its inaugural ISRS season, JB Giesse Racing adopted the 333 SP model. It paid great dividends, leading to a Teams’ championship title in 1998. A year later, the squad continued with the 333 SP, running no fewer than three different examples. Chassis 023 was the second of the three, and it started in all nine races of the 1999 season (the series renamed to the Sports Racing World Cup), driven by 1998 champions Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri.

The 333 SP made an auspicious debut in the first event at Barcelona, as Sospiri and Collard roared to overall victory. After repeating the feat with a win two weeks later at Monza, the pair followed up with 2nd overall at Spa-Francorchamps in May. In late-June a gearbox failure at Enna-Pergusa prompted an early retirement, but the car returned with 3rd at Donington Park in July. Snaring 2nd at Brno and 3rd at the Nürburgring kept JB Giesse in comfortable reach of a championship. After leaving the track at Magny-Cours in September, chassis 023 managed 4th at Kyalami in November, more than sufficient to retain a points advantage. Team JB Giesse had won the 1999 title, and chassis 023 played an integral role.

Following its crowning glory, the Ferrari was retired in 2000 and sold into a private collection in Belgium. Less than a year later the 333 SP passed to a world-class collector in Canada, and he presented the car initially during the Festival Ferrari at Mont Tremblant in July 2001 then again at the 2006 Cavallino Classic. In April 2010 the 333 was issued with Ferrari Classiche “Red Book” certification.

Acquired by The Tailored For Speed Collection in 2021, it went straight to Michelotto via Ferrari to benefit from a full mechanical rebuild (the invoice is on file). Then, the 333 SP was presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2022. The next month, it was returned to Michelotto for servicing.

As an important championship-winning example of Ferrari’s sole racing prototype of the late-20th Century, chassis number 023 would make a dazzling addition to any racing collection. It offers its next caretaker the pleasure of screaming hot laps at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, or entry into the Endurance Racing Legends series, as well as sitting as the pride of field display at major events such as Cavallino Classic or Pebble Beach.

Italian team Iron Lynx, in partnership with the legendary AF Corse outfit, entered two factory-supported Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo race cars in the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, the premier GT3 series organised by the SRO Motorsports Group. The #51 car offered here, chassis number 4606, was campaigned by Works driver Alessandro Pier Guidi and Nicklas Nielsen. Both of whom count three FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE class titles and are overall winners aboard the Ferrari 499P Hypercar prototype in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They were partnered by 2016 GTWCE Endurance Cup champion Côme Ledogar.

Chassis 4606 made its season debut in the jewel in the calendar: the 24 Hours of Spa. A subdued effort in qualifying, falling 0.943 seconds off the pace, left the #51 machine to line up 13th. The Ferrari expertly recovered to lead the field before the chasing WRT Audi gambled on a late pitstop in the final hour. With dark grey clouds looming overhead, the R8 LMS stopped for wet tyres in anticipation of rain. The gamble paid off handsomely to overthrow the Works AF Corse-Iron Lynx Ferrari.

However, a safety car was called into action when rivals skidded off the course in the slippery conditions. With Pier Guidi behind the wheel, a blockbuster sprint to the line ensued. The Italian carved into the Audi’s lead before sweeping around the outside of Blanchimont corner to nab 1st with just 10 minutes remaining. He then romped to the spoils by four seconds to seal Ferrari’s first win in the event since 2004. With double points on offer for the famed enduro, the Iron Lynx crew vaulted to the top of the Drivers’ championship standings.

Pier Guidi, Nielsen, and Ledogar chalked 7th place at the Nürburgring and repeated that feat at Barcelona to round out the Endurance Cup schedule. Those two results proved suffice for the #51 crew to seal the Drivers’ title by a slender four points, as Iron Lynx finished runner-up to its chief challenger at Spa, WRT, by just a single point in the Teams’ table.

The Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo has been with Iron Lynx subsequently and officially became part of The Tailored For Speed Collection in 2023. It is presented in its satin black #51 livery from the championship- and 24 Hours of Spa-winning 2021 season. Should the next owner wish to add to chassis 4606’s storied competition history, it remains eligible for a variety of GT3 racing series and the official Ferrari Club Competizioni GT. Bidders are encouraged to validate the dates of the safety equipment and get it mechanically serviced prior to campaigning the car.

This Ferrari is currently fitted with one of its racing engines, yet the powerplant that propelled the car to victory in the 24 Hours of Spa has been located. Interested parties should speak to an RM Sotheby’s representative about acquiring this separately.