Ferrari’s second-generation Kbb-C32 has returned to track in China, a day after the first car was shipped back to Italy.
The car, the latest in a line of three-wheelers powered by a 2.0-litre V6 and a pair of 4-cylinder engines, was delivered to Ferrari factory in Wuhan in August.
It will be fitted with a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, a carbon fiber rear wing and a carbon composite front splitter, and a special “bamboo-plastic” bodywork.
Ferrari, which began the first-generation C32s in 2016, hopes the C32 is a good stepping stone for its first-gen V6, which was built for the 2014 World Endurance Championship and won the title in 2017.
“This is a great first step to building a first-class racing car,” said Ferrari technical director Alessandro Bongiorno.
“It is a very strong car.
It is a special car, but it will be very competitive in the next race.”
Fernando Alonso was driving the car when the company sent it back to Ferrari’s factory in January.
A number of other car manufacturers, including Audi, have been working on their own C32 prototypes and testing it on the same track in the Chinese countryside, with a possible 2017 debut in Beijing.
Despite being fitted with the latest V6 powertrain, the Kbb car has yet to see competitive racing, with its 0-62mph time in the Autodromo Nazionale d’Automobili dello Sport (NAS) the only official test that has been held.
But it could be on track for the 2018 Japanese GP, and the car has the potential to be a contender.
At the start of the season, Ferrari had its first test with the C30, but the car did not make it past the first practice session and did not qualify for the next round.
After that, the team was given permission to use its new V6 turbocharged version of the V12 engine, and it is now expected to have its first race in 2018.
That engine, a turbocharged 3.0L V6 with the variable valve timing (VVT), is similar to the Renault power unit that was used for the car in the 2016 Japanese GP.
For now, the car is expected to compete with the new Mercedes-AMG C63 and BMW M6 GT3s.
Meanwhile, the company has yet again seen its C32 development programme come to a halt due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus.