Jalopnik: 599 gtb

REPORT: Ferrari Planning Hardcore 599 GTO

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

Is the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE too tame for you? Ferrari is reportedly prepping a Ferrari 599 GTO combining 599xx-inspired looks, 700 HP and one classic name.

The Ferrari 250 GTO is revered amongst the Maranello faithful, meaning any 599 carrying the name needs power, style, and at least the illusion of exclusivity. Power should come in the form of the stock V12, which puts out a raucous 611 HP already, tuned to 700 HP. Style is said to be inspired by the wild 599xx Concept. And exclusivity? The GTO will probably be limited to just 500 units approaching $400K a piece.

Of course, all this is based on a report from autogespot saying Ferrari is taking pre-orders for a car named "Ferrari 599 GTO Limited Edition."

Considering mint GTOs go for over $5 million at auction, this is as close as your average millionaire may get.

[Autogespot via World Car Fans]

Novitec Rosso 599 GTB: More Horsepower! More Carbon Fiber!

Ray Wert — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT

Two years ago, Novitec Rosso tuned the Ferrari 599 GTB just in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show. This year, they're releasing another kit for the Italian stallion's two-seat flagship adding 40 horses under the hood and more carbon fiber.

The conversion consists of new engine electronics and a complete four-tailpipe Novitec Rosso stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system. The new engine management system comprises new mapping for ignition and injection as well as increase in maximum engine speed to 8,550 rpm.

On the outside, the newly-tuned 599 GTB gets a front spoiler lip for an even more aggressive look and to reduce lift on the front axle. On the back, there's a new rear wing and diffuser. Combine that with rocker panels with large air dams and the option of having them all in clear-coated carbon fiber and you'll be taking the 599 GTB to new heights of tunage. Add to that the black taillights, side markers and auxiliary brake light as well as the new LED rear fog lights and you've got one mean-looking GTB.

Full press release below.

New from NOVITEC ROSSO for the Ferrari 599 GTB: An Extra 40 hp, Striking Design and Exclusive Accessories

The Ferrari 599 GTB is the focus of the latest new product developments from NOVITEC ROSSO, the worldwide leader in customizing the great cars from Maranello. The new developments include a performance kit that increases power output of the V12 engine by 40 hp / 29.4 kW, a striking and aerodynamically efficient design program and numerous exclusive accessories.

In addition to the familiar twin compressor engines with up to 808 hp / 594 kW NOVITEC ROSSO now also offers classic engine tuning for the six-liter twelve-cylinder four-valve engine. The Performance Stage 3, starting at 10,490 Euros, increases power output from standard 620 hp / 456.3 kW to 660 hp / 485.7 kW without any alterations to the engine's inner workings.

The conversion consists of new engine electronics and a complete NOVITEC ROSSO stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system. The new engine management system comprises new mapping for ignition and injection as well as increase in maximum engine speed to 8,550 rpm.

The NOVITEC ROSSO sport exhaust system features four tailpipes with diameters of 90 millimeters and is available in two different versions. In addition to a conventional version there is also a system with controllable exhaust flap. Using the little ‘Manettino' switch on the steering wheel, the driver can change the exhaust note from sporty subdued to bona fide racing sound.

After the conversion throttle response of the V12 engine is even crisper with further improved driving performance. The higher redline speed increases top speed by five km/h to 335 km/h.
For even faster and more precise shifting of the six speeds of the 599 GTB's F1-Superfast transmission NOVITEC ROSSO offers longer carbon-fiber shift paddles.

Even better looks and better aerodynamic efficiency: These are the attributes of the NOVITEC ROSSO body components, which received their finishing touches in the wind tunnel. The front spoiler lip for the production bumper gives the 599 GTB an even more aggressive expression and reduces lift on the front axle. For a perfect aerodynamic balance the rear of the car is upgraded by NOVITEC ROSSO with a new rear wing and diffuser.

New rocker panels with large air dams give the coupe a more muscular stance.
All NOVITEC ROSSO aerodynamic components are also available in clear-coated carbon fiber.

Further innovative NOVITEC ROSSO exterior accessories are black taillights, side markers and auxiliary brake light as well as the new LED rear fog lights.

Three-piece NOVITEC ROSSO NF3 wheels are important components in the spectacular appearance of the customized 599 GTB. They are available in a number of different color combinations. The double-spoke wheels exceed the size of the production wheels by one inch on front and rear axle, and are fitted with Pirelli high-performance tires. The front axle features size 9Jx20 wheels with size 275/30 ZR 20 tires. On the rear axle size 12.5Jx21 wheels with tires in size 355/25 ZR 21 make full use of the available space under the wheel arches.

The NOVITEC ROSSO sport suspension allows both ride height and damper rates to be set according to each customer's individual preferences. But that's not all: By pushing a button in the cockpit the front of the car can be raised by 40 millimeters to safely navigate parking-garage ramps or speed bumps. Upon reaching a speed of 80 km/h the front of the car automatically reverts to its original position.

NOVITEC ROSSO offers a multitude of individual options for the interior of the two-seater sports car. The product lineup includes a leather/carbon-fiber sport steering wheel with flattened bottom for easier entering and exiting of the vehicle, aluminum foot pedals and foot rest. Additional customization requests can be fulfilled with custom-altered seats tailored to the individual owner and with leather and Alcantara interiors perfect down to the last detail.

NOVITEC ROSSO Ferrari 599 GTB: Photos

Ray Wert — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:24:20 EDT

Man Pops Ferrari Cherry

Peter Orosz — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EDT

There are fast cars and then there are fast cars. Heed the warnings of a Ferrari novice before the Maranello Mafia part you from your life savings.

Observe fast cars from the vantage point of the average automobile and anything with more than four cylinders and 200 HP will merge with their kin like railway sleepers on the horizon.

Because can there possibly be a difference between, say, a BMW 335i with six cylinders and three hundred horsepower and a Ferrari F430, where the respective numbers are eight and 490? They will both rip your head clean off upon a blip of the throttle and will both exceed legal speed in a matter of seconds.

Yet up close, the differences grow. My friend Gergely Antal has recently spent some time in a gray F430 Spider and he has emerged a different man:

Look, I don’t edit a fancy motoring magazine, I don’t drive race cars for a living, I am not a petrolhead. Still, I’m familiar with what a 300 HP car feels like [the BMW 335i you can see here – Ed.] and have even picked up a set of wheels for Xbox driving games. I don’t throw common sense out the window when I evaluate things, even if this is not always apparent—but this car is so much more than I’d believed. I was thinking maybe it’s twice as good as the 335i. But no: it’s like ten times as good.

This is what stepping on the slippery slope of supercars is like. When you realize that beyond the numbers are innumerable details. That an engine which is perhaps twice as powerful is also twice as responsive in raising and dropping revs. That its power flows through a gearbox twice as precise, through a suspension that follows the road surface like a silken glove, through tires—and I’ll have to quote Neal Stephenson here—“with contact patches the size of a fat lady’s thighs.” Add them all and quantitative differences emerge.

And don’t think that it’s regular cars on one side and supercars on the other. The F430 may be the inflection point on the way there, but the slide from an F430 to a Ferrari 599 GTB is just as steep, according to Nino Karotta, who has driven both. At the bottom of the slope stands Harry Metcalfe, managing director of Evo magazine, who has once paid Horatio Pagani a quarter million dollars to upgrade his Pagani Zonda C12 to F spec—and he called it money well spent.

So please, for the sake of your comfortable retirement and your children’s nutrition and higher education, avoid Ferraris like the plague. Look what’s happened to Gergely—a reasonable man, an engineer by training—barely a day after his experience with Maranello’s gateway drug:

I have now made the decision to not get old or die without having once owned a Ferrari. You do need goals to keep you moving.

Junkie talk!

Photo Credit: Andras Horvath

Ferrari 599 GTB HGTE Shows Off In New Gallery

The Auto Insider — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT

The Ferrari 599 GTB HGTE brings the hurt with an adjustable suspension, stiffer springs, stiffer rear anti-roll bar and grippier tires. Now we've got a whole mess-load of new photos of Ferrari's new hotness.

Engine
Configuration 65º V 12
Location Front, longitudinally mounted
Construction alloy block and head
Displacement 5.998 liter / 366 cu in
Bore / Stroke 92.0 mm (3.6 in) / 75.2 mm (3 in)
Compression 11.2:1
Valvetrain 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed Fuel Injection
Aspiration Naturally Aspirated

Drivetrain
Chassis/body aluminum spaceframe
Suspension (fr/r) Magnetoreological damping control SCM
Steering rack-and-pinion, power assisted
Brakes ventilated carbon-ceramic discs, all-round, ABS
Gearbox paddle-operated 6 speed Automatic
Drive Rear wheel drive

Dimensions
Weight 3725 lbs
Length / Width / Height 4665 mm (183.7 in) / 1962 mm (77.2 in) / 1336 mm (52.6 in)
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r) 2750 mm (108.3 in) / 1690 mm (66.5 in) / 1618 mm (63.7 in)