Ferrari is offering wealthy track enthusiasts the chance to own a version of its Le Mans-winning 499P LMH race car, but exempt from all racing regulations.
The new car is the 499P Modificata and debuted at Ferrari’s Finale Mondiali rally at Italy’s Mugello circuit over the weekend, where the automaker’s 296 Challenge race car and one-off SP-8 supercar also debuted.
Production of the 499P Modificata will be limited, although Ferrari did not say how limited, and the cars will be offered through the F1 Clientele Program under the Ferrari Client Driver Program as well as the new Sport Prototype Clientele Program.
Pricing is set at 5.1 million euros (about $5.4 million) and includes a two-year membership to the Sport Prototype clientele starting in 2024. Membership includes all services and supplies for the car and even the engineering team organized by the Sport Prototype client. Race track event Ferrari.
The 499P Modificata is based on the same carbon fiber monocoque as the 499P race car, with push-rod suspension and brake-by-wire technology that allows the front-mounted electric motor to recuperate energy during braking. Ferrari says the suspension system has been retuned to provide a more comfortable experience than the race car settings that led to overall victory in this year’s 2024 Le Mans race.
Special Pirelli tires were also adopted for racing cars. Ferrari says they are more forgiving than race car tires and are designed to offer more predictable handling, more response and quicker warm-up times. It measures 310/710-18 at the front and 340/710-18 at the rear.
The biggest change to the 499P Modifica was in the powertrain. The powertrain consists of a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 driving the rear wheels via a 7-speed sequential gearbox and a single electric motor driving the front wheels. However, the 499P Modificata is not subject to racing regulations and has 697 hp (858 hp with CVT) compared to the racing car’s 670 hp. Unique engine design delivers more torque at lower speeds.
Modified Ferrari 499P
The rule limiting the use of the front engine to 180 km/h has also been scrapped. Additionally, drivers are no longer limited to when they can use the vehicle’s push-to-pass system. In the 499P modifica, it makes an additional 161 hp for seven seconds and temporarily raises the peak output to the 858 hp mark. The push-to-pass system is still limited by the available charge level of the battery and automatically deactivates below a certain charge limit.
According to Ferrari, the result of the upgrade is the brand’s most powerful car outside of a pure racing car.
It is possible that additional versions of the 499P will appear in the future. In addition to the name 499P Modificata, Ferrari is said to have filed trademarks for the 499 GTB, 499 GTS and 499 Speciale, possibly in reference to a more impressive version of the 499P. GTB stands for “Gran Turismo Berlinetta” and is sometimes used for Ferrari coupe models. Similarly, GTS stands for “Gran Turismo Spider” and is sometimes used by the automaker for convertibles, while Ferrari sometimes uses Special for high-performance models such as the 458 Speciale. It is possible that the names will be used for the successor of the currently tested Ferrari LaFerrari.
