Video: New Ferrari 499P Modificata in action at Mugello

14th November 2023

Simon Ostler

Ferrari had been away from the top tier of endurance racing for 50 years, but in the space of a year the Prancing Horse has made a dizzying return to the limelight. Not only has it built the stunning 499P, no doubt one of the best-looking racing cars in the world, but it won the Le Mans 24 Hours at the first time of asking. And now, we have this, a version of the 499P that you can actually buy.

It’s called the 499P Modificata, and here we can see it in action at Mugello during the Ferrari Finali Mondiali. First things first, this car looks identical to the Hypercar that won at Le Mans, and isn’t that just the coolest thing? You could literally climb into and drive a car that you have seen take the most famous chequered flag in motorsport.

It’s not just the looks that are carried over to this customer version of the 499P. The powertrain and chassis are near identical to the actual racing car, too, albeit with some adjustments to make it a more manageable and predictable car to drive. There are of course no regulations to consider here though, so Ferrari has unbuttoned the shirt of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 to allow it to produce 707PS (520kW), and the front axle can be powered at any speed, turning the 499P into a much more stable four-wheel-drive car at all times.

Obviously a car this special won’t be freely available to any old sausage who fancies a go, there are just 33 spaces available in Ferrari’s new Sport Prototipi Clienti program which will run alongside the established F1 Clienti initiative, and the buy in to be able to drive the 499P Modificata is a whopping £5million.

Judging by the footage of this car running around Mugello, we’d judge that it would be money well spent. Imagine having a taste of what it’s like to drive a Le Mans-winning car.

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