Driving the rich into the red

Ferrari has unveiled a production vehicle so expensive, so exclusive and so fast that the small number of specially selected customers who are able to afford its N1.5m (just under £1m) price tag will only ever be allowed to drive it around private racing tracks.

Unveiled at last week’s Bologna motor show, the FXX is claimed to be the most technologically advanced GT (grand tourer) car ever to emerge from Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters.

The company said that while it hasn’t yet been approved for road use or racing, the car will be used exclusively on track as part of a specific ongoing R&D programme to help design future extreme models.

Powered by a V12 engine that develops over 800hp at 8,500rpm, the car has a theoretical top speed of around 345km/h. It also has a dry weight of 1,155kg with a power to weight ratio of 1.44kg/hp, and recently completed a lap of Ferrari’s 3km Fiorano F1 testing circuit in less than one minute 18 seconds.