Ferrari has long been known for creating bonkers supercars that churn out eye-watering power that can be yours for a sky-high price. Now, its latest release takes that up a few notches; it’s the company’s most expensive new car ever and is based on a Le Mans-winning racer.
The new model, called the 499P Modificata, is based on Ferrari’s Le Mans-winning racer that dominated the French endurance race earlier this year. As such, it’s basically a fully-fledged prototype racer that almost any billionaire can get behind the wheel of.
When they do just that, your friendly neighborhood rich person will have more than 760 hp at their disposal thanks to the car’s V6 hybrid powertrain. This race-ready setup comprises a roaring Ferrari V6 as well as a 200 kW electric motor with an Energy Recovery System that recharges the battery during deceleration and braking. That power can then be fed back to the wheels via a “push to pass” system that wasn’t available on the race car and offers drivers the option of an extra 100 hp of power bringing the car’s total output up to a whopping 860 hp.
Little Big Wing
Unlike the racer that inspired it, the 499P Modificata also comes with a four-wheel-drive system that can be activated at low speeds, specific tires developed for the car by Pirelli, and its electronic controllers and engine mapping have been “completely re-worked” for regular drivers, Ferrari says.
But despite the internal tweaks and upgrades, the 499P Modificata retains an equally racy body, which looks almost like a carbon copy of the 499P that Ferrari raced to victory at Le Mans. Because of its racing origins, pretty much the whole car is crafted from carbon fiber, including monocoque chassis and body panels. There’s also push-rod suspension and brake-by-wire systems to amp up the racing driver feel.
Inside, the 499P Modificata still has a single-seater cockpit layout like the race car, which is set up to replicate the “ergonomics of the 499P,” Ferrari says. This, the company adds, allows its rich clients to experience “exactly the same driving experience” as James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi who drove the 499P to victory.
If you want to live like Giovinazzi for a day, then you’ll probably want to know how much it’ll cost far all this racing fun, and the answer is quite a lot. According to British outlet Autocar, the 499P Modificata will set you back £4.6 million, which is about $5.4m at today’s exchange rate.
And surprisingly, for all that you don’t even get to drive the 499P Modificata home from Maranello. Instead, you’re buying two years with the formidable racer, over which time you’ll be able to drive it as part of Ferrari’s new Sport Prototipi Clienti program.
This means that from 2024, your 499P Modificata will be able to take part in a series of “non-competitive” events at various race tracks around the world. At each event, Ferrari will ship your 499P Modificata out to the circuit, bringing with it a team of mechanics and experts to handle logistics, track-side assistance and maintenance. This leaves you free to enjoy your multi-million-dollar race car in a strictly non-racey setting.
If you want to drive your car at a track of your choosing, Ferrari will charge you an additional fee, according to Autocar. And, buyers will actually only have access to the car for two years, the site adds, making this nothing more than a $225,000 per month lease.