Ferrari 499P Modificata: The real deal

Fancy your very own Le Mans-winning racecar? Ferrari will oblige.

This June, after a 50-year hiatus from the world's most famous endurance race, the Maranello marque stunningly won first-time out upon its return to the iconic 24-hour event.

And now, if you have a fat enough wallet (containing say, 5.1 million euros (S$7.36 million) or so), Ferrari will sell you the very same carbon fibre-bodied 499P sports-prototype hypercar with which it took that Le Mans victory, for you to do the occasional trackday, or even to park in your living room if you so wish, as the ultimate conversation piece.

Ok, the 499P Modificata (as the car is called) isn't exactly identical to the Le Mans-winning 499P racecar, it's been tweaked slightly (hence the "Modificata" moniker). But here's the thing — the mods actually make it faster than the Le Mans racecar.

The Modificata is visually identical to the 499P racecar, and like that car it's powered by a mid-mounted 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 driving the rear wheels via a 7-speed sequential gearbox, augmented by an electric motor delivering up to 272hp to the front wheels, for a total combined output of 707hp.

But while the 499P is constrained by the FIA's "Balance of Performance" ("BoP") rules that dictate when, and by how much, it can deploy its front electric motor, the Modificata is free of such shackles. Where the 499P is only permitted to deploy its electric motor above 190km/h, the Modificata's is on tap at any speed, giving the car a massive boost out of tight corners, for instance.

Another benefit of the Modificata's freedom from BoP rules is the "push to pass" feature, literally a button on the back of the steering wheel which liberates an additional 163hp electric power burst for seven seconds on top of the usual 707hp — meaning it delivers up to 870hp in frenzied spurts. Very useful if you need to squirt past someone quickly on track before the next corner arrives.

499P Modificata ownership is also an automatic passport to Ferrari's ultra-exclusive Corse Clienti programme, where owners get to use their cars in selected track events at world-class circuits across the globe, with logistics, track-crew and maintenance fully handled by Ferrari. Literally, all the owner has to do is turn up and drive.

To date the programme has been offered only to owners of Ferrari's ex-F1 cars and its track-only Challenge and XX-programme cars, but with the launch of the 499P Modificata, this programme has now been expanded to include endurance-racing sports prototypes — expect Ferrari to offer others of its ilk in years to come.

For which there will be no shortage of takers — for the bragging rights alone, if nothing else. After all, a Le Mans-winning racecar is surely the ultimate trackday toy.

Ferrari 499P Modificata

• Engine: 2994cc twin-turbocharged 120-degree V6
• E-motor: Front axle-mounted, maximum output 200kW (272hp)
• Total system output: 870hp
• Gearbox: 7-speed sequential
• Price: 5.1 million euros before local taxes (includes two years of Corse Clienti track activities)

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This article was first published in Torque. Permission required for reproduction.