Two Decades of Speed

Is it really 20 years? We’d attended Finali Mondiali at Mugello in 2005, on the promise of something extra special. No-one had seen it coming, but that weekend the XX Programme was unveiled, offering dedicated Ferrari clients the chance to become, in effect, factory test drivers. The FXX – the first XX car – was a laboratory on wheels, Enzo-based but heavily re-worked mechanically, aerodynamically, and even aesthetically. With 850 cv propelling just 1,150 kilos, performance was astonishing.

I sat alongside Scuderia Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer for a lap with three other FXXs, holding station behind Schumacher and Barrichello in their F2005 F1 cars. An unrepeatable experience. Except 18 months later I found myself in another FXX at Fiorano, alongside legendary Ferrari test driver Dario Benuzzi. “Yes, the FXX is a kind of racing car, but it also has to be accessible for customers, not too intimidating,” he told me.

FXX K took LaFerrari to new extremes with 1036 cv, slick tyres and 500kg of downforce

Benuzzi could lap Fiorano in one minute 18 seconds in the FXX, six seconds faster than in the Enzo, and a time to conjure with even now. The 599XX followed, the first production-based sports car to dip below seven minutes at the Nürburgring. With ‘Actiflow’ aerodynamics boosting downforce or cutting drag as necessary, and on slick tyres, the 599XX proved devastatingly effective. Then came the FXX K, a 1,036 cv hypercar with 500 kilos of downforce. Both spawned even more extreme Evo iterations.

Thankfully, XX Programme drivers all received expert tuition to master such extraordinary machinery, while also helping evolve technology. They still do. This year they have visited some of the world’s premier circuits, including Monza, Le Castellet, Miami, Fuji and Barcelona, with events at Spa-Francorchamps and Mugello still to come. The XX Programme has come a long way since Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, dreamt it up. “My idea appeared totally crazy to all my colleagues,” he recalls, “when I proposed a car homologated for circuits, but that stayed in storage with Ferrari and was run only at special events held by us. My big chief at the time decided that it wasn’t such a bad idea. Not necessarily a good idea, but not a bad one!”

If selling the initial 29 FXX cars was simple enough, getting them together proved more challenging. “We had five or six cars at the first event. It was, and remains, very complicated.” Major credit must go to Federica Santoro, Head of XX and Monoposto Heritage Programmes, whose team facilitates logistics, including accommodation. “It’s a big job for us. Everything is done in-house,” she explains. “Sometimes we use permanent circuit facilities, sometimes we manage that ourselves. The idea is that the client receives the same standard of hospitality wherever they are in the world. But honestly, the clients are very focused on driving. That’s the most important aspect.”

XX Clients push the limits of Ferrari technology on the world's greatest circuits – Fiorano included

As well as ensuring cars are maintained, the XX Programme provides driver coaching for each client, plus psychological support, medical back-up and fitness and nutritional advice. Many original clients remain in the programme. Some have changed cars, other have progressed to the GT series… one even graduated to Le Mans.

Belgian businessman Stéphane Sertang bought his 599XX in 2018, sharing it with 28-year-old daughter, Marie-Sarah. “The first time I drove the 599XX, it was … a battle,” he tells us, recalling a wet session at Spa. “A positive battle, you could say. If you can master that car, you can master anything …” Marie-Sarah agrees, adding that it “ teaches you so much about the basic physics of driving on track”.

The Sertangs also own an ex-Kimi Räikkönen F2007 Formula One car, and recently acquired a 499P Modificata. “Improving my lap time is very important,” reveals Marie-Sarah. “I have to admit I cried on one occasion when I thought I was simply too slow. But that’s part of the game. Sometimes you are super happy because you improve, other times you don’t and can’t understand why. Or if you are really unlucky and have an accident, you need someone to give you confidence to get back in the car. And you have all the members of the club around for support, so you come back quickly. There is genuine spirit and camaraderie.”

Some have been XX drivers for 20 years – others share with sons, daughters and parents

Talk to any of the participants and this is a common thread. But not only is XX a family, sometimes it unites actual families in an appreciation of Ferrari. Dino Tabacchi and his sons Emanuele and Edoardo were amongst the first FXX owners. “Let’s just say we were competitive with each other,” Dino admits. “And we believed in this magnificent project. Although my sons did have to persuade me to begin with.” There’s no doubt it was worth it. “The slick tyres glued it to the asphalt and helped you discover new parameters,” Edoardo recalls of the FXX. “So you were able to go much faster but also with the courage to brake much later and accelerate earlier. The car’s reactions are brutal, and it sounds crazy. More music than noise, in my opinion. Our only goal at the start was to make a racket, and have fun with lap times. But as the programme grew, many people also use it as a business networking opportunity.” Having proved himself, Emanuele has gone on to great things in the Ferrari Challenge series. “If I thought I knew how to drive before, I certainly found myself improving. Having a coach helped for sure, in terms of reading telemetry, learning how to brake, to corner effectively.”

With the XX Programme, Ferrari anticipated two significant early-2000s trends: the rise of private members’ clubs, and the growth of ‘experiential luxury’. Who could resist the chance of becoming a semi-official Ferrari test driver at Monza or Miami? So what’s next? “It’s an important business for us, that is clear,” Antonello Coletta says. “A new car will probably arrive in future, although I don’t know when. It is difficult to believe that the FXX is now 20 years old. It is part of something that has enabled us to build a unique relationship with our customers. There really is a family atmosphere and we have great spirit in all our programmes. But really, it all started with the FXX.”