Apparently, those rich fellas in the Middle East have a sense of humor too.
This postcard-looking thing came from Saud Arabia and illustrates how the son of what we imagine to be a freakishly rich family – yeah, all of us can afford that gold Ferrari 599 GTB – feels a little out of place in his new university in Berlin because he drives the gold 599 GTB whereas his fellow students and teachers only take the train to go to campus.
Hilariously, dear old Daddy replied to his son’s worries by telling the latter that he just deposited $20 million in his account and that the son should stop complaining and just buy his own train.
Sure, it’s only a joke, but if there’s one place where something like this could potentially happen, it’s in that neck of the woods. Only in the Middle East, boys and girls. Only in the Middle East.
There aren’t a lot of things in this world that are sexier than a supercar that shoots flames out of its exhaust. And when the supercar that’s doing its best flamethrower impersonation is one Ferrari 599 GTO, then it’s easy to get caught up in all of the fireworks.
And, really, what’s not to love about this car? It’s got a12-cylinder engine, producing up to 670 horsepower with a 0-60 mph time of just 3.35 seconds and a top speed of 210 mph, making it the Prancing Horse’s fastest street-legal road car in its long and illustrious history.
Limited to 599 units, we don’t get a whole lot of this beautiful machine out on the streets, so seeing one spewing flames out of its exhaust is as close to a mouth-watering experience we can have of the 599 GTO. We invite you to watch the video and join us in drooling over this car. Really, there’s no shame in that.
The long-rumored Ferrari 599 GTO, based off of the 599XX, made its official debut today. The company describes it as "an extreme V12 berlinetta developed to a specific performance-oriented brief" and go a step forward to say it is the fastest road car ever. It will be limited to only 599 units and will be priced in the area of $450K. Those with the monetary backing and thirst for high speed action will be salivating at the opportunity to own one of these bad boys.
The Ferrari 599 GTO is powered by a V12 engine delivering a total of 670 HP at 8250 rpm with a maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6500 rpm. It rockets the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.35 seconds, while top speed goes up to 208 mph. Maybe the most impressive thing about the 599 GTO is the lapping time on the Fiorano test track: 1 minute and 24 seconds. For those of us keeping track, that’s faster than the Enzo’s time.
The sports car features new front splitter, side sills, diffuser and rear spoiler, a new vented hood, and ten-spoke, 20" wheels. It has a dry weight of 1495 kg and a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp. The 599 GTO is also equipped with the latest, second-generation carbon-ceramic brakes which are lighter and offer better performance.
We dare any other automaker to try to top the performance of this maniacal machine. This car leaves McLarens and Porsches in the dust. Watch for the public debut of the Ferrari 599 GTO at the Beijing Auto Show. A conveniently chosen venue if we can say so ourselves. Major props, Ferrari. Maybe some time we can take this stunning beauty out for a test drive...pretty please (insert groveling here).
Updated 04/09/2010: Ferrari unveiled today an official video for the new 599 GTO. The video is in Italian, but its pretty cool to watch, so enjoy! Video after the jump.
Update 05/07/2010: New video from Ferrari! Click on the picture above to view the 599 GTO whip around the Mugello track!
UPDATE 06/24/2010: Another video featuring not just one....not just two...but three Ferrari 599 GTOs. Check it out after the jump!
UPDATE 06/29/2010: The British magazine EVO recently had the chance to get behind the wheel of the new GTO to take it out for a little ride. So, what does Chris Harris think about the car? Check out his test drive after the jump to find out!
UPDATE 07/07/2010: EVO’s Chris Harris takes the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO out for a test spin on the legendary Fiorano race track. Take a look at the three-part video that follows the mind-boggling trip around the track by clicking here.
Updated 07/09/2010: Ferrari unveiled today a new image gallery with the 599 GTO on its natural habitat: on a race track! Enjoy!
It is the dream of every auto journalist to be able to get behind the wheel of one of the fastest known cars on the planet and drive it the only way it’s supposed to be driven: face-deformingly fast.
Most of us can only dream of being put in that kind of situation, but for people like Chris Harris, it is a likely situation. These chaps never seem to run out of cars to test drive. Are we jealous? Perhaps. Oh wait, who are we kidding. Of course we are!
Nonetheless, despite our steaming envy for his good fortune, we’re still compelled to show you this three-part video of Harris unleashing the Ferrari 599 GTO out on Ferrari’s legendary Fiorano race track. It’s not because we hate the guy - not hate so much as envy with the fire of a thousand suns – but more so because we love the 599 GTO that much.
It’s a three-part video that Ferrari fans will surely want to watch over and over again, if only because the extended footage of the 599 GTO only makes us long for the days when we’d miraculously find one gift-wrapped in our garage with a big red ribbon on top. Of course, that’s not going to happen anytime soon or forever, for that matter. So, we’ll settle, albeit begrudgingly, on watching this video for as many times as our hearts can take it.
Some car magazines have all the fun. Chris Harris at EVO had a chance to test Ferrari’s new supercar, the 599 GTO. The GTO is the bigger and angrier brother of the 599 GTB. The car is powered by a 6.0-liter V12 that comes from the same mill as the Enzo. Amazingly, the 599 GTO is actually faster than the Enzo and the chassis is 430 pounds lighter than the base 599 GTB, allowing the car to hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.35 seconds with a top speed of 208 miles per hour.
Considering the cost of the 599 GTO, around $430,000, we will most likely never get a chance to take one of these for a drive. That is a real shame, as 661 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque sounds like a really good time.
Numbers are one thing, but the noise of that Ferrari V12 is just sensational. Harris was lucky enough to go for a drive in the new 599 GTO around the Italian countryside. Life doesn’t get much better than that. Thanks to Harris and EVO for allowing us to hear and see that beautiful new creation from Ferrari.
Remember the romantic name that Ferrari was conjuring up for the Ferrari 599 Spider? Well, they have decided on one and, yes, the Ferrari 599 Barchetta is the name the spyder version will get, and not Superamerica as some people might have expected. It seems that the announcement was made by Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo himself. It will be unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, August 13-15. The Roadster will go on sale in the summer of 2011 at a price of 300,000 euro ($370,000 at the current rates). It will be limited to only 30 units.
The 599 Barchetta will feature an electric folding hardtop and will be powered by a V12 engine that will develop a total of 645 HP (coupe version delivered a total of 620 HP). This will help it to sprint from0 to 60 mph in 4 second and to hit top speed of 198 mph. So, those of you who were hoping to see numbers close to the 599 GTO, sorry, but that’s just not going to happen!
Rumors of a Spider version for the Ferrari 599 date back to a couple of years ago, but no real data had been conjured up and the story just seemed to lack the necessary substance to keep it going. That is, until recently, when the 599 roadster was spotted testing in Maranello. Now, it seems that Ferrari will be debuting the Ferrari 599 Spider at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August and MotorAuthority has deemed it necessary to provide a computer generated rendering of the wind blowing convertible. Can you blame them? They are probably as excited as we are.
The Ferrari 599 Spider will be offered in limited numbers as was the 575 Superamerica launched in 2005. It will feature a folding-metal roof and will most likely carry a V12 engine developing an extra 25 HP in order to counteract its extra weight. The result of this engine will be a total of 670 HP at 8250 rpm with a maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6500 rpm as performed in the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
What can be better than one Ferrari 599 GTO? Hmm, lets see...nothing perhaps? Well, fortunately, we have found something better than seeing a beautifully powered cavallino rampante. We have found three Ferrari 599 GTOs at the same place, at the same time. More precisely, we found them all at Spa Franchorchamps. We admit that this may not be the best quality video ever, but you’ll have to excuse us because we are dealing with three of the same powerhouse here so we don’t really care.
The Ferrari 599 GTO is powered by a V12 engine delivering a total of 670 HP at 8250 rpm with a maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6500 rpm. It rockets the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.35 seconds, while top speed goes up to 208 mph. Maybe the most impressive thing about the 599 GTO is the lapping time on the Fiorano test track: 1 minute and 24 seconds.
Go ahead and try watching the video without drooling.
While talking about the future roadster version of the Ferrari 599 with the British magazine Auto Express, Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo also offered a few details on the company’s future hybrid plans.
During the interview, Luca di Montezemolo said: "The future for Ferrari is hybrid for the 12-cylinder and new [turbocharged] technology for the eight-cylinder. Within three-four years we will be ready with a V12 hybrid based on the HY-KERS concept."
Translated this means that the successor for the Enzo, the next 599, and the Scaglietti, will be powered by smaller-capacity V12s mated to electric motors to boost efficiency.
For the Vettura Laboratorio HY-KERS, the powertrain combines a V12 engine with an electric motor producing more than 100 Hp and is coupled to the rear of the dual-clutch 7-speed F1 transmission.
Internally known as the F70, the next Enzo will combine elements from the FXX Mille-Chili lightweight concept, the 599XX track car, and the 458 Italia. The F70 will be a very light car with a total weight of about 2200 lbs making the 0 to 60 mph sprint in less than 3 seconds, while top speed will go up to more than 230 mph.
After a first rumor and a render it’s time to see the real deal. A Ferrari 599 Roadster has been caught testing in Maranello.
So, why do we think this is the successor of the 575M Superamerica? If you take a close look at the image, you will notice that the top of the A-pillar is taped with a joint for a removable top and the car features a convertible top.
It will most likely carry the V12 engine delivering a total of 670 HP at 8250 rpm with a maximum torque of 620 Nm at 6500 rpm found in the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO except it will develop an extra 25hp to counteract the added weight of the convertible top.
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