Road and Track, July 1st, 2006
Under natural sunlight, the 599 GTB Fiorano’s unique styling and powerful road presence truly shine. Consider the three-quarter view from the front and step back a bit: The 599’s low and wide stance, with its strong rear fenders, really portrays a sports car on the move. Walk up closer and the front end begins to reveal many subtle details that hint at the car’s Formula 1 heritage.
Leading the svelte front fenders are projector beam headlamps that convey a strong sense of sportiness. The GTB’s seriousness is also highlighted by the hood’s ever-so-slightly-raised center section pointing downward at the road, clearly a tie to the company’s F1 efforts. Ferrari’s traditional, low-mounted air intake up front is framed by the familiar chrome grille with the prancing horse emblem at its center. Air vents on either side of the grille and on top of the hood are not only great stylistic details but also function to vent the brakes and engine compartment.
In profile, the 599 GTB’s shoulderline is high and pinches a bit into the cockpit to give the car an atspeedlook. The low and short roofline helps to make the cockpit appear sunken into the car’s chassis, further strengthening its road presence. The rear fenders and two buttresses flow off the roof, separate from the greenhouse, and blend smoothly into the reardeck. The rear glass dramatically turns inward to create a gap between the glass and the buttresses. Thisis one of the most intriguing details that only can be appreciated in person.
Get in and twist the ignition key. Hit the starter button on the steering wheel. The V-12’s starter whines a few times, then the 6.0-liter roars to life before quickly settling into a quiet idle. While the word “voluptuous” is often used to describe the exterior of a car, in the 599 it is the interior that is best described by the term. There are many shapes and curves on the dash. The instrument cluster and round air vents protrude, wrapped by high-quality leather and carbon-fiber trim combinations that also appear on the center console and the doors. Soft and rich leather abounds; the aroma and textures are hallmarks of a true Italian exotic.
Grab hold of the steering wheel. The LED shift lights are integrated on the top, and the red engine start button and the manettino—a rotary switch controlling several performance parameters—sit at the bottom.
On the road, the 599 GTB’s 611-bhp V-12, a retuned version of the 6.0-liter powerplant seen inthe Enzo, is spectacular. Even though an 8500-rpm redline is shown on the tachometer, you really never need to spin the engine up that high to tap its enormouspower. In fact, 90 percent of the 448 lb.-ft. of torque is available from 3500 rpm, reaching full pulling power at 5600 rpm. On Italian autostrade, doing in excess of 150 mph is a breeze. Literally. Romp onthe throttle and the V-12 will take the car past the century mark quickly and with utmost smoothness.
Inevitably—if not for the fear of the Italian Carabinieri chasing you for speeding—the slow-moving traffic ahead will force you to slow down. And the GTB’s excellent front 13.9-in. and rear 12.9-in. drilled and vented cast- iron discs do a fi ne job ofreining in the racebred Cavallino in a hurry (optional are carbon-composite brakes). The brake pedal has a positive feel while giving good feedback.
For the twisty Italian mountain roads, I set the 599’s manettino dial to Race mode. The car is then programmed to respond more quickly to driver inputs, including speeding up the 6-speed F1 paddleshift transmission and tightening the electronically adjustable magnetic dampers for better handling. In this latest iteration of the F1 paddle-shift system, now called F1- Superfast, gearchanges can be done in as little as 100 milliseconds—that’s 150 milliseconds quicker than the one seen on the 575M, and 50 milliseconds more rapid than the F430’s. The ultra-quick gearchanges also make the automatic mode more pleasant with smoother upshifts and downshifts.
Even though the 599 GTB is a high-performance grand tourer, it could also pass as a serious V-12 sports car. Its suspension tuning is more aggressive than most cars in the GT category. Despite being a large car, the 599 corners with confidence, thanks to a nicely balanced front/rear 47/53 weight distribution and a well-refined and stiff chassis coupled to double-wishbone suspension all-around. Aided by an electronically controlled rear differential, all of the GTB’s 611 bhp can be effectively proportioned to the car’s generous rear 20-in. tires to ensure maximum grip and acceleration out of corners. Taking the lead up front are 19-in. tires directed by a nicely weighted, variable-assist power steering.
If there is any doubt that the 599 GTB is a sports car, just take it out on a track and experience it at speed. The car’s Fiorano name is by design. Maranello engineers want you to associate the car with Ferrari’s hallowed factory test track. Moreover, Ferrari set the 599’s performance targets to exceed those of the awesome F40. While independent testing was not possible at this time, just riding shotgun in the 599 with a Ferrari test driver at the helm will quickly convince anyone of the car’s sporting nature. A few laps on our own around Fiorano confirmed the GTB’s aggressive character. Even with the manettino set on Race and with stability control on, the car will easily hang its tail out with too much throttle input exiting a corner. Maranello claims the GTB can accomplish 0–100-km/h (0–62mph) acceleration in just 3.7 seconds.
Standing by the Fiorano track’s straightaway, I could hear the 599 GTB roar underneath the bridge and scream past. The sight, the sound and the fury will get your adrenaline pumping. These are emotions only a few special machines in the world can evoke. Ferrari’s 599 GTB Fiorano is foremost a sports car rich with the marque’s racing heritage. It is a grand tourer simply because it has more room than its hard-core F430 sibling. Greedy for a sports car and GT all in one? The 599 fits the bill.
