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This is a very unusual car and it will certainly surprise you," said Montezemelo. "It's only going to be available to a very select number of clients who've been asking us for an open-top version of the 12-cylinder for quite some time now. We won't be unveiling it at a show though. Instead we'll be organizing private presentations," Ferrari's boss added.
The Italian maker said in a press statement that the 700HP 599XX, which inspired the road-legal 599 GTO, is the first ever "production-derived sports car to break the 7-minute barrier on the 20.832 km Nordschleife circuit, lapping it in 6 min 58.16 sec."
For comparison, the Dodge Viper ACR and the Corvette ZR1 turned the 'Ring in 7:22.10 and 7:26.40 respectively, however, unlike the juiced-up Ferrari, both American sports cars are street legal.
Set to make its public debut at the Beijing Auto Show in China at the end of April, only 599 examples of the GTO will be built.
Billed as the company's fastest ever road car, the 599 GTO makes use of the 599XX's (Enzo-derived) tweaked 6.0-liter V12 engine that punches out 670-horsepower at 8,250 rpm with maximum torque of 620Nm (457 lb-ft) at 6,500 rpm. For comparison, the V12 delivers 700HP in the 599XX and 620HP in the standard 599 GTB.
[UPDATE - Apparently the photos of the 599 GTO are the real deal as the head of Ferrari's notoriously friendly legal department sent us a not so friendly email requesting the removal of the pics on the premise that they were shot inside a private area, a.k.a. the Italian automaker's Maranello factory. In other news, all pictures of the 599 GTO are available on the internet.]
As the world gets closer to the official reveal of Ferrari's 599 GTO, and just a short while after the price list was leaked, the internet has spewed out what appear to be pics of an official GTO show car.
Distinguishing features appear to include a new wheel design, duck tail spoiler and design cues straight off the 599XX (such as the matte black roof, extra cooling vents in the hood/fenders, angry rear diffuser and other aerodynamic bits). Too bad we can't see the face and driver's compartment. Anyway, we're sure those will show up soon enough.
No official numbers have been released, but speculation points at around 650-700 horsepower and a significant weight reduction providing a much more intense driving experience than the 599 HGTE.
The first GTO since the launch of the iconic 288 GTO in 1984 (see picture on the left) is said to be a stripped-down version of the standard 599 GTB fitted with exotic materials and a pumped up 6.0-liter V12 producing over 650 horsepower.
It is believed that the 599 GTO will break cover at this fall's Paris Motor Show. Until we find out more details, follow the jump to watch the video.
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The announcement was made by Ferrari's chairman Luca di Montezemolo during the media presentation of the 'green' 599 GTB Fiorano Hybrid at this week's Geneva Motor Show.
"This is a first step of a long project and we want within three years, maximum four, to have a hybrid Ferrari car ready for every single product of our range. This is our goal," said Montezemolo. "In three years we aim to cut emissions by a minimum of 35 percent."
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The hybrid system found in the 599 GTB prototype comprises of an electric motor coupled to the rear of the dual-clutch 7-speed F1 transmission and a set of flat lithium-ion batteries positioned below the floorpan of the car inside the aerodynamic underbody.
Photos aside, we asked around and our sources gave us some inside information on the hybrid system featured on the 'green' 599 concept model.
The system comprises of an electric motor producing somewhere around 100 horsepower and 137Nm (110 lb-ft) of torque that is attached on the back-end of the rear-mounted transmission, and a battery pack located under the floor.
The wealthy American approached Ferrari in 2008 to produce a modern reinterpretation of the gold-coloured 1965 Ferrari 250GT NART Spyder featured in a 1968 Fellini short film called "Toby Dammit".
"I had always dreamed of designing sports cars," Walson explains, "and when I saw this film the decision came of its own accord: one day I would have 'my' Ferrari." And well, he did.
In case you didn't notice, the Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta is based on the 599 GTB Fiorano. The car was designed by Pininfarina and built in Maranello, with Ferrari claiming that Walson was directly involved in each stage of its development.
According to the Italians, while considerable effort went into strengthening the chassis after the roof was chopped off, the increase in weight was kept down to just 20 kg or 44 pounds by employing carbon-fibre extensively.
Ferrari said that from the initial sketches to the final, road-legal car, it took just 14 months to complete the project.
Those of you with a strong memory may remember that we first showed you the P540 Superfast Aperta earlier this year, though then, we didn't know any details about the one-off Prancing Horse model.
Technical specifications
Length 4731 mm
Width 1954 mm
Height 1300 mm
Wheelbase 2750 mm
Front track 1690 mm
Rear track 1620 mm
Engine
65° V12
Displacement 5999 cc
Maximum power 456 kW (620 CV) at 7600 rpm
Maximum torque 608 Nm (62 kgm) at 5600 rpm
Transmission
F1 6-speed gearbox
Tyres
Front 245/35 20"
Rear 305/35 20"
Fuel consumption
Combined cycle 17.9 l/100 km
CO2 emissions
Combined cycle 415 g/km
The single special Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Edition designed by artist Lu Hao was auctioned off to an anonymous bidder from Shanghai at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing on Tuesday for €1.2 million, or approx US$1.75 million at today's exchange rates. Based on a limited version of the 599 for the Chinese market, this one-of-a-kind Prancing Horse model is distinguished by the Song Dynasty Ge Kiln pottery patterns applied on the body.Along with the special 599, Ferrari also auctioned a few more objects from its collection including a racing overall worn by F1 driver, Giancarlo Fisichella and a helmet and a model car signed by Michael Schumacher (yes, that's him wearing the fuxia scarf), who unveiled the car to the international press this morning.
According to the Italian supercar maker, the proceeds from the auction will go to fund outstanding students and young teachers of Tsinghua University's Department of Automotive Engineering to study at Italy's Politecnico di Milano University and internship at Ferrari's headquarters.
Usually, you'd expect to see something like this happening to a Fiat 500 and not to high-end supercar like the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, but there are always exceptions to the rule. This one-off creation, which is based on a small series of specially-designed 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Edition models, is signed by Chinese artist Lu Hao and it will be auctioned the 3rd of November at a special Gala Auction Event hosted by Ferrari in Beijing.
The special 599 GTB Fiorano incorporates a number of the features of the China Limited Edition cars that will be produced in a very limited series of less than a dozen examples finished in two-tone Rosso Fuoco with silver roof and distinguished by unique design elements such as the Chinese characters on the starter button and the tachometer, and the unique luggage set.
The one-off model is further distinguished by the special exterior finish that draws inspiration from the famous Ge Kiln porcelain of the Song Dynasty. The artist used a "cracked" glaze pattern with clearly defined cracks etched at different depths to achieve the porcelain look.
"The 599 China Limited Edition model is a true masterpiece, combining rich Chinese artistic heritage with Italian design in a most spectacular way," said Marco Mattiacci, CEO of Ferrari Asia Pacific.
We'd say that while it may look cool from an artistic perspective, we find it a little too gaudy for our automotive tastes.
