Ferrari 599XX, while based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano with the same transaxle layout and engine type, is an extreme track car. Ferrari's engineers have carried out extensive work on the engine's combustion chambers and inlet and exhaust tracts. These modifications, combined with the fact that internal attrition has been reduced and the maximum revs have been boosted to 9,000 rpm, helped achieve the target power output of 700 hp at 9,000 rpm. Particular attention was also paid to cutting the weight of the engine unit components. This was achieved both by optimising forms - as in the new crankshaft - and adopting exclusive materials, as in the carbon-fibre used for the intake plenums. A new gearbox shift strategy cuts overall gearchange times to 60 ms.

The Ferrari 599XX is characterised by an innovative electronic concept called the "High Performance Dynamic Concept" which has been designed to get the maximum performance from the car by managing the combination of the car's mechanical limits with the potential of its electronic controls. The mechanical and electronic systems work together to get the maximum performance from the car under extreme high performance driving, for consistent lap times. The sporty handling has been improved thanks to the adoption of second generation SCM suspension system. Track usage is also made easier thanks to the new "virtual car engineer", a screen in the car that provides a real-time indication of the vehicle's efficiency.

The Ferrari 599XX's aerodynamics were honed in numerous wind tunnel test sessions with the result that the car now boasts 280 kg of downforce at 200 km/h (630 kg at 300 km/h). The front underside of the body is completely faired-in and the vents that channel hot air from the engine bay have been moved to the bonnet.

The "ActiflowT" system increases downforce and/or cuts drag depending on the car's trim cornering conditions, courtesy of the use of a porous material in the diffuser and two fans in the boot which channel the air flow from under the car out through two grilles next to the tail-lights. Winglets have been added to the rear buttresses to increase downforce. while synthetic jets have also been incorporated into the rear of the car to control and smooth the air flow and to reduce drag.

Ferrari's engineers have also used F1-derived "doughnuts" which partly cover the brake discs and wheel rim. These have the dual function of improving both aerodynamics and brake cooling.

In terms of the bodywork, composites and carbon-fibre have been widely used and the engineers drew on their experience in working with aluminium to reach the weight target. The development of increasingly high-performance materials has also benefited the carbon-ceramic material braking system. The brake pads are now made from carbon-fibre which means that the calipers are smaller whilst guaranteeing the same efficiency. The new racing carbon ceramic braking system also delivers shorter braking distances and is generally more efficient due to the weight saving.

The Ferrari 599XX comes with slick tyres (29/67 R19 Front and 31/71 R19 Rear) specifically developed to maximise stability in cornering and increase lateral acceleration. They are fitted to 19 x 11J wheel rims at the front and 19 x 12J at the rear.

[via Ferrari]

As purely bullying as they can be in person, Lamborghinis are easy cars to like. Four decades ago, having achieved automotive perfection with the Miura, designer Marcello Gandini decided to leave cars behind and design a proper space vehicle for an age when men were regularly sent to the Moon. Ever since his Countach LP500 concept had its first outing at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghinis have looked exactly the same. Company owners and aerodynamic bits have come and gone but the essential shape is still the unbroken Countach wedge. Show your mom a Countach and the Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce introduced 38 years later at the same show yesterday and she will nod in comfort and recognition.

Ferrari doesn't do that. Which is remarkable when you consider that if there was one company which could actually afford to sink into stylistic complacence and keep rehashing its old models, Ferrari would be it. Would someone complain if you could, akin to a Se7en, buy yourself a brand new retro 250 GT SWB with working brakes?

New Ferraris almost always clearly break with their predecessors. All they retain are subtle touches, like the tiny circular rear lights or the hood scoops. This design language has the effect of making new Ferraris frequently appear particularly alienating. Can you still remember the shock of first seeing the Enzo in 2002? Instead of the curvaceous, understated design of its contemporaries, the car was a dramatic jet fighter of sharp angles. People actively hated it: yet has it not become one of the icons of the decade? The same happened again three years ago when the 599 GTB replaced the aging 575 Maranello.

The 599 is a classic berlinetta in silhouette, yes, but the details were alien, jarring. All it took, of course, was some getting used to, and the car made everything else look dated, and that was even before you heard that front-mid-mounted V12 scream bloody murder and break all your ribs at the slightest blip of the throttle.

But the most graceful detail of the 599 was not up front with the engine but back above the rear haunches. It took quite a while to spot the incredible fact that the C-pillars were not mere pillars but flying buttresses more common on Gothic cathedrals than supercars. This solution created an elegant yet perfectly serviceable way to apply downforce on the rear wheels without tacking a rear wing on the trunk and breaking up the lines. It's hard to appreciate the sheer beauty of the arch on pictures. It's really something you have to see in person, because, although it's concealed on most photographs, Black Francis of the Pixies often makes his home beneath a 599's C-pillar.

So take another look. I think you may be able to spot Mr. Francis singing the chorus of Alec Eiffel, the third song on the band's fourth and final studio album, Trompe le Monde:

Now look again at the 599XX and the 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE and rejoice. The 70s may have had disco science and Daytonas but we also live in interesting times.

Photo Credit: Balázs Fenyő (Ferrari 599 GTB gallery), freschwill (Black Francis)

Peter Orosz, the editor of Hyperleggera, a website he fervently claims is not a car blog (although it really is, we don't care what he says - Ed.), pens Jalopnik's newest feature dubbed "Crazy Euro Car Boy." It's a series all about one Hungarian sometimes-motoring journalist's obsession with the cult of cars.

Ferrari 599XX

If we were to describe this car to you in writing, you'd think it was lame, but somehow in pictures, it's the hottest thing since sliced bread. Inexplicable but awesome.

2010 Mazdaspeed3

Using the old model's 268 HP turbocharged engine, the Mazdaspeed gains a Furai-like grille and we're ok with that.

Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire

Bugatti's got a thing for blue and it's got a super expensive hypercar to sell. So why not combine the two for a mutual win-win? As silly as we think this is, the combination of matte and gloss blue (or Bleu if you're super rich) is surprisingly nice.

Aston Martin One-77

The DB9 too common for you? Then how about a one of 77 (get it?) limited run of a super fast, super luxurious model based on the same platform? Sounds good to us, but then anything with over 750 HP sounds good to us.

2011 Opel Ampera

Just like a volt, but wearing eyeliner. Somehow, we think this is GM's attempt at a subtle insult to its more successful, better looking, but slightly effeminate European relatives.

Nissan Qazana Concept

What if we combined the sexy lines of a sportscar with the high clearance and off-road ability of a 4x4 and the luxurious interior of a sedan into one car? Great idea, let's call it a "crossover." Oh, wait; it's not 1999 anymore? Damn, back to the drawing board.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce

When I was a kid, the SV versions of Lamborghinis existed to snuff out the trashiest of the uber rich with their tacky graphics, then kill them off with dangerously unpredictable handling. It was like Lamborghini was some kind of ancient secret society that existed to promote natural selection. We're guessing Tom Hanks has somehow infiltrated the company, because this SV has AWD and won't likely kill anything but innocent spotted owls and polar bears.

Pagani Zonda R

Ray worships at the alter of this track-focused, ultra-light version of the Pagani Zonda. Somehow, that's the least disturbing thing we've found out about him this week.

Gumpert Apollo Speed

How do you make the ugliest supercar on sale even uglier? Easy: a two-tone aquamarine and white paintjob. There's also some Aurora-esque bodywork. Yuck.

Mansory Veyron LINEA Vincero

Somewhere, there's a market for tuned Veyrons. This one has 1,109 HP and exposed carbon bodywork. Who buys these things?

2010 VW Polo

There's a magical land where small cars are both appealing, good to drive, nice to sit in and highly efficient. That magical place's name is Europe, it also has good cheese. We think VW USA is crazy for giving us a rebadged Golf instead of a rebadged Diesel Polo as the Rabbit.

Koenigsegg Quant Concept

Solar electric cars get free energy from the sun, but they're really slow. Enter Koenigsegg. The 512 Quant, we don't know how they did it, but somehow it sounds like they connected the sun directly to its rear wheels.

Mitsubishi iMiEV Sport Air Concept

We kinda wish Mitsubishi would hurry up and put an iMiEV into mass production, but for the time being we're pretty happy with the Sport Air and its Tron-like interior. Sunglasses required.

Infiniti Essence Concept

Wow, probably the best looking car at the show; like a Ferrari California, but attractive. If the G37 looked like this we'd be all over it.

Ford Iosis Max Concept

Previewing the next Focus, the Iosis Max is fitted with an Ecoboost (Newspeak for turbocharger) 1.6-liter engine putting out 180 HP. Make sure you bring this one to the States please Ford.

2010 Audi TT RS

The most appealing thing about the Audi TT are its clean, uninterrupted lines. So bolting a big honking wing to the back does little for us. Having said that, the 335 HP, 331 Lb-Ft turbocharged five-cylinder does.

2010 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro

You run a successful daytime talk show in which you convince guests to dance and you need plenty of room in the trunk for your burgeoning collection of men's trousers. Your first instinct says "Subaru Outback" but you've got money now and you want something a touch classier. The A4 allroad quattro is the car for you.

Frazer-Nash Namir by Giugiaro

370 HP and a 187 MPH top speed from a .8-liter engine and two electric motors. It will also find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and single handedly save the world from aliens. Man, this car sounds awesome.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE

Ferrari buyers are a fickle lot, always wanting new and better features if they're going to be convinced to pry open their wallets for a new, six-figure supercar. The HGTE adds firmer suspension, stickier tires and a lower ride height.

Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA

The MiTo GTA is the best looking small car we've seen in the last thirty years or so. We're probably not going to ever get one here in Obama land. Still, those big new exhaust pipes are awful good to look at.

Rolls Royce 200EX

The new, smaller Rolls is still over a foot longer than a BMW 7-Series and every bit a Roller deserving of the retracting Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament.

Spyker C8 Aileron

Dramatic in detail, outdated in profile and mechanical spec. Yep, it's another Spyker.

(Hat tip to Patrick!) [Asphalt.ch]

We're told to expect the Handling GT Evoluzione (HGTE) package to include newly designed 20-inch wheels wrapped in more aggressive rubber, stiffer springs, thicker antiroll bars, a retuned exhaust system and a new front grille. Expect the optional handling package to tack an additional $25,000 onto the 599's price tag.

The 599XX is Ferrari's rolling tester for the latest technological developments from the company's road-going and Formula One work. Although specifics haven't been revealed, Ferrari claims many of the systems implemented for the 599XX are being used for the first time and have been exclusively developed for the model.

We're extremely pleased by the announcement of the 599XX program, which seems like the GTB version of the Ferrari FXX. Everything Ferrari is saying about the F99XX is similar to what they said about the FXX and we can only hope this means they'll sell a limited number of track-only 599XX supercars to the super rich for the rest of us to gawk at.

Press Release: The new 599 GTB Fiorano Handling GTE Package and the world preview of the ‘laboratorio tecnologico' 599XX

Geneva International Motor Show provides the venue for Ferrari to announce two new pieces of good news: the arrival of the sporty, dynamic Handling GT Evoluzione (HGTE) Package for the 599 GTB Fiorano and the world debut of the 599XX which is a technological laboratory aimed at a select group of clients. The latter new car incorporates the most advanced technologies resulting from Ferrari's road-going and F1 research. Many of the technological solutions it carries are being used for the first time and have been developed exclusively for this special car.

In addition to the 599 GTB Fiorano equipped with the Handling GTE package and
finished in a new three-layer metallic Rosso, and the 599XX in a colour matching the
F2008, Ferrari clients and enthusiasts will also be able to admire this single-seater that
recently won the Prancing Horse its 16th Constructors' World title. On the stand there
will also be the full range of Ferrari road cars: the Scuderia Spider 16M in a Grigio
Titanio livery, the 430 Scuderia in Rosso Corsa and two Grand Tourer models, the
Ferrari California in Nero Metallizzato with a Sabbia interior and the flagship 612
Scaglietti. The latter will be displayed in the Atelier, a dedicated area where owners can
get a taste of the virtually endless personalisation options on offer to them.

[Source: Ferrari]