Now that we’ve got your attention with the following incredible picture of the world’s first Ferrari 599 GTO, let’s have a little look back at the history of the GTO name.

The GTO name dates back to the 60's when Ferrari released the 250 GTO. This awesome piece of machinery was produced after FIA rules for sports car racing stipulated that at least 100 road-going examples needed to be produced before Ferrari could go racing. However, Ferrari never actually produced 100 250 GTO's and only ever produced 39 GTO's. Ferrari got around this by numbering the chassis' numbers out of sequence. They also produced fake documentation of cars that did not exist.

In 1984, the successor to the 250 GTO was released called the 288 GTO. Unlike the 250 GTO before it, it was mid-engined where the 250 was front-engined. Just like the 250, the road-going version of the 288 GTO was built because the Group B Race Series said that 200 examples needed to be made, before Ferrari could go racing. Sadly, Ferrari abandoned the series before they even took part in a single race. Between 1984 and 1985, a total of 277 were manufactured including 5 special 288 GTO Evoluzione models.

The Ferrari 599 GTO is the third member of the GTO family, and the above picture was taken by Tareq Abuhajjaj in late 2010, and was actually the first ever production 599 GTO to hit the market. Sporting a stunning black paint job, with a selection of red accents including bright red brake calipers and wing mirrors, it’s unquestionably one of the most extreme GTO’s we’ve seen to date.

Featuring an incredibly impressive 6.0-liter V12 engine based upon the unit fitted to the 599XX, the GTO pumps out 660HP at a screaming 8,250rpm and 457lb-ft of torque helping the car launch to 62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds and onto a top speed of over 208 mph.

Thanks to Tareq for letting us use this stunning photo, and be sure to check out his personal website and come back next week for the next ‘Photo of the Week.’

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