In the language of performance cars the Italian term 'evoluzione', or simply 'evo' in English, means a faster, more powerful, more 'evolved' version of that particular model.
But when Ferrari tacks an 'evo' on to one of its cars - and the car in question is the awe-inspiring, track-only, non street-legal 599XX, the result is a little, well, special.
The 599XX is actually a rolling test bed for Ferrrari's next-generation performance technology; by selling them to very, very wealthy racing wannabes and then downloading the telemetry from the cars after every track day, they get a wide range of readings from a number of different test drivers, of varying levels of skill, under real-world conditions - and the customers are paying them for the privilege!
But Ferrari is also a Formula One constructor, and that's where the 599XX Evo comes in. It has (very loud) side pipes instead of the standard rear-exit kezorsts, taking peak output to 550kW at 9000rpm and 700Nm, it has a slightly shorter final-drive ratio to boost acceleration and mid-range, super-sticky Pirelli gumballs - and it's 35kg lighter than even the stripped-out XX.
But it also has an all-new, active aerodynamic package derived directly from the DRS system used on Grand Prix cars, integrated with the car's electronic control systems.
Its key features are two flaps, with profiles similar to those used in Formula One, that rotate electronically to adjust the downforce between the front and rear axles, depending on speed and attitude (by which Ferrari means the difference between the direction in which the car is facing and the direction in which it is actually travelling - not the silly grin on the driver's face!).
The flaps are adjusted automatically according to parameters programmed into the car's antilock braking, electronic stability and traction control systems, taking into account speed, steering wheel position, and longitudinal and lateral acceleration.
The new aerodynamics package for the 599XX Evo also includes a modified front splitter and a new rear diffuser with a larger surface area and revised fences and foot-plates. Total downforce at 200 km/h is 330kg with the flaps open and 440kg when they're closed.
The extra grip that gives the Evo under braking and cornering enables it to get round Ferrari's notorious Fiorano test circuit in an awe-inspiring 1min15.
But Fiorano has no straights worth talking about, so the real test for the Evo's active aerodynamics will come when a few lucky customers thrash them around some of Europe's best-documented Grand Prix circuits for literally hundreds of laps, providing the factory technicians with a wealth of telemetry data that they simply wouldn't have the manpower - or the budget - to get any other way.
The Ferrari 599XX Evo will be shown in public for the first time at the Bologna motor show from December 3-11, on a stand consiting only of Ferrari racing models, from the 430 Trofeo to the 2011 Formula One car.