The world of Ferrari Cars are famous, packed with an 80 year history of racing and supercar building that is a glorious quest for performance on and off the track. While Ferrari’s most iconic and often sought-after street cars are the brutally fast and nimble mid-engined cars, some of the Ferrari cars stand out as just as incredible, with an emphasis more on ride comfort than absolute cornering power – the front-engined V12 Grand Tourer.
The V12 Ferrari Grand Tourer was born from a great tradition that began in the 1940s with their first road car, the 166 Inter. It evolved into the spectacular 250 GT in the 1960s and then perhaps reached its highest level of iconic classic climax with the dazzling 365 GTB / 4 Daytona later in the decade. After a break of two decades, the guy saw a successor in the 90s with the 550 Maranello and its further development of the 575M.
The 599 GTB continues this line and was released in 2007 with a sleek Pininfarina design and loads of power.
The high point of an era
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The late 2000s and early 2010s were a time of transformation for Ferrari, with several great models released and discontinued that helped propel the brand into the growth and success that they see today. With the hype of the legendary Enzo supercar of 2002, cars like the F430 were a step forward for Ferrari, improving both their road performance and a departure from the rather unapologetically difficult road driving experience that earlier Ferrari models had. This marked the beginning of the end for the era in which Pininfarina was responsible for developing the Ferrari cars as there was a shift to in-house design in the mid-2010s.
The 599 designed by Pininfarina were launched in 2007 as a further advance in their range of products. The look was a bit controversial when new, but today it’s a serious highlight for the final era of sleek and stylish Pininfarina lead design. Simple and restrained, with glamor in the subtle details and curves and not in the current trend of overstyling (not that it’s a bad thing), the 599’s body lines are gorgeous, with classic GT proportions, perfectly aggressive curves, and fantastic details like the rear buttresses that flank the rear window.
The 599 was not only visually fantastic, but also had the most powerful street engine that Ferrari had produced, namely the 6.0-liter Tipo 140 C V12 with 611 hp. Not mind-blowing in today’s market of 700hp + muscle cars and 1000hp + supercars, the 599 was an absolute monster when it came to performance at the time.
Apart from that, oOne problem with the supercars at the time, the automated paddle-shift gearbox wasn’t that nifty, but the 599 took steps to upgrade the existing F1 paddle-shift gearbox and make it the much more responsive 6-speed F1 SuperFast . While the 599 took steps in the current direction of modern technology, it was sort of a last stand for old-school Ferraris that connected the two worlds remarkably well in ways that simply don’t exist today.
Worthy of his name
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The 599, called Fiorano, was named after Ferrari’s private test track, and the name 599 comes from the displacement of the 5999 cc engine – rounded to 6 liters. While the 599 part is natural, the Fiorano name went well with the car because, although geared towards GT, the 599 isn’t a hideout, has over 600 horsepower and comes with an all-aluminum chassis – the first GT from Ferrari Autos to do so . Tame and comfortable on the road, the 599 comes to life when pushed, but is surprisingly balanced on the edge too. Since the throttle response is also naturally sucked in, it is wonderfully immediate and screams for a nasty redline of 8,400 rpm. Not only because of its power, this V12 engine is also something special in itself, as it was not only Ferrari’s most powerful engine, but also a development of the legendary V12 of the Enzo super sports car.
With Delphi’s adaptive magnetic suspension, the 599 can drive relatively easily and behave like a real GT. However, it can be stiffened to solve things on the sidelines when driving on tough trails with the above expertise on the sidelines. The 599 GTB may not be a light car, but it is full It’s 100 pounds lighter than the 575M, but it still weighs nearly 4,000 pounds, though it handles that weight well with suspension and balance, not to mention the acres of power it has. Further help with balancing, aThe ero work is intense too, as these flying buttresses reduce lift and the flat belly pan with diffusers that provide plenty of downforce.
The transmission offers even more power and is an improvement over the older F1 transmission, which reduces gear changes to just 100 milliseconds. That being said, the 599 had a 6-speed manual transmission, but only 30 were equipped with it. Regardless of this, the 599 was also the first Ferrari on the road to use the F1-Trac traction control system, allowing optimal control of the car when driving hard. The 599 is good for a 0 to 60 mph speed of 3.7 seconds and 200 mph + top speed. It’s impressive, but not too crazy today. 0-60 times under 3 seconds and 200 mph is almost expected for 2007 supercars. This was an incredible market leading achievement.
Stylish exterior, magnificent interior
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As a front-engined GT, the focus of the 599 was on performance and comfortable driving as well as on a wonderful interior for driving pleasure. The 599 GTB is surprisingly well insulated from the outside world for a Ferrari supercar and can be a much quieter experience for the occasional (relatively speaking) road ride against other supercars of the time. Another distinctive feature, the 599, was one of the last mainly analogue Ferraris. The only screen visible was the small section on the instrument cluster, although it’s still easy for viewing indicators like performance and system monitoring – make it what you will want but for those who want a minimally digital experience in their supercar , this makes the 599 even more desirable.
Aside from the lack of screens, the overall experience of the interior of the 599 is great. Surprisingly comfortable, yet well-padded leather seats keep you inside without putting too much strain on your back, and leather cushions with carbon fiber make for a luxurious and comfortable layout. One thing that hasn’t really changed when it comes to supercars since the 2000s: the option list for the 599 was huge and incredibly expensive. Parts like a fire extinguisher, a carbon fiber trim, and many more customizations like upholstery colors and combos cost more than most commuter cars of the time sold for. Something practical, The 599 had an 11 cu-ft trunk which was great against most supercars. By comparison, the 599’s main competitor, the Mercedes SLR Mclaren, had a 7.2 cubic foot trunk and was already a slightly more practical GT supercar.
As special as special editions come
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However, the legacy of the 599, remembered as a great supercar with outstanding performance, is as focused on its special editions as it is on the “normal” car itself, and one in particular gets the most attention. With the Enzo’s V12, the 599 GTB was already a serious performance car and was considered worthy of a super special and only used Ferrari nameplate – GTO twice. He takes his place as the third Ferrari GTO, after the 250 GTO and the 288 GTO, the 599 GTO was released on the road in 2010 as a distillation of the brutal 599XX racing car.
Lightened by 220 lbs, improved handling with stronger stabilizers and stiffer springs, increased braking power with massive carbon-ceramic brakes, halved the shift time of the transmission with the shift control of the 599XX and increased performance thanks to a new 661 hp flat crankshaft design, better Ignition control, exhaust from the XX and other improvements. The 599 GTO was approved for massive fanfare and is still one of the most serious and collectable Ferrari supercars to this day, as well as one of the best-sounding. The looks were just as bad, with the particular black accents like the roof and side skirts and the aggressive ventilated bonnet that set it apart alongside new wheels, only 599 units of the 599 GTO were made.
While the GTO is the most important 599 special edition people think of, some more great ones were unveiled during model life. This included a convertible version called Sa Aperta, which was limited to 80 units and used the GTO engine, the 599 HGTE improved handling with chassis adjustments and lower ride height, and the 599 GTB 60F1 celebrated 60 years of Ferrari F1 victories with the HGTE’s upgrades as well as special paintwork and wheels.
Expensive when new, expensive today
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The 599 was and is both the end of an era and a very special super sports car with Enzo V12 drive. It was and is a very expensive car, although it isn’t all that ridiculous in today’s market where million dollar supercars are not uncommon. The 599 was sold new in 2007 at a base price of $ 260,034 ($ 332,000 today) and rose to $ 330,000 ($ 380,000 today) by the end of its 2012 model run. However, this applies to the “normal” 599 GTB, as the 599 GTO had a base price of USD 416,500 in 2010 (today USD 505,000) and the HGTE started at USD 356,825 in the same year (USD 433,442 today).
In today’s market, the 599 GTB costs between $ 150,000 and $ 250,000 depending on specification, mileage, and year. However, the GTO is by far the collector’s item. Prices at the lowest end are around $ 600,000, and pristine prices go as high as $ 800,000 and up.
Sources: Auto und Driver, MotorTrend, Hagerty
About the author
Aaron Young
(17 articles published)
Aaron Young has always been addicted to the world of cars. Aaron loves the quirky side of the industry and currently drives a Subaru Baja on and off the road.
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