2011 Ferrari 599 GTO /Review

Ferrari’s 599 GTO

Ferrari has finally taken the wraps of its high-performance 599 GTO. Billed as Ferrari’s fastest ever road car topping even the mighty Ferrari Enzo — the production version of the 599 GTO is largely based on the 599XX concept.

Using the already potent 599 GTB HGTE as a jumping point, the 599 GTO kicks it up a notch with a number of performance improvements. The 599 GTO cranks out 670 horsepower, up from the standard car’s 612 horsepower. The 599 GTO’s V12 engine is capable of revving to 9,000 rpm. Power is routed through an F1-style six-speed gearbox.

Thanks to that added power, the 599 GTO makes the sprint from 0-62 in just 3.35 seconds, continuing to a top speed of 208mph.

The 599's chassis has been thoroughly reworked for the GTO treatment, and Ferrari says the improvements completely eliminated any understeer.

Of course, with it being well known that weight is the number one enemy of performance, Ferrari also took several actions to shave off unnecessary weight. The areas involved include the bodywork and greenhouse (with thinner gauge aluminum and thinner glass), the brakes, transmission and exhaust system.

The result is a dry weight of 1,495 kg and a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp, a very significant figure that underlines the GTO's performance potential.

The 599 GTO features Ferrari’s Magnetorheological Supension Control system, as well as carbon ceramic disc brakes measuring 15.7x1.5 inches in the front, and 14.2x1.5 inches in the rear.

The 599 GTO gets its power to the ground thanks to high-performance Michelin tires, size 285/30/20 up front and 315/35/20 in the rear.

The car-driver interface was designed to maximize car and driver performance with a layout of the main commands that ensures absolute efficiency and minimum distraction. The Racing manettino also puts the emphasis firmly on sporty, track-specific driving settings by offering the driver full choice with regard to the electronic control parameters.

The ICE position on the 599 GTB Fiorano has been replaced by CT-Off (traction control off). The GTO is also fitted with bespoke, longer carbon-fibre F1 paddles for easier use in high-speed driving. In addition the GTO also features the Virtual Race Engineer, a system that monitors the status of the car and gives the driver immediate visibility of vehicle performance.

Ferrari will produce just 599 examples of the 599 GTO, with a price tag expected to fit that exclusivity with reports suggesting the 599 GTO will retail from $426,000.

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Basic Specs

Base Price     TBA
Drivetrain     Rear Wheel Drive
Curb Weight (lbs)     3538
City (MPG)     TBD
Hwy (MPG)     TBD
Horsepower     670@8250
Torque (lb-ft)     457@6500
Wheelbase     108.3
Length (in.)     185.4
Width (in.)     77.2
Height (in.)     52.2

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Special Cars/Ferrari Celeritas Barchetta Concept

Ferrari Celeritas Barchetta Concept

Designers should be all about craziness when it comes to concept studies and fortunately for us, there's a lot of that going on with the Ferrari Celeritas that is the work of Aldo Schurmann, a student from the Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design in Turin, Italy.

Ferrari Celeritas Barchetta Concept

Schurmann's two-seater study for a barchetta-style Ferrari supercar is different and makes no apologies for that with its shape bringing to mind Formula One car's of the 1950's and 1960s.

Ferrari Celeritas Barchetta Concept

The concept is pictured in several different colors but all feature a common matte black finish on the center parts of the car. It also gets a distinct pair of adjustable wings at the back.

Designer: Aldo Schurmann via Yankodesign
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1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta sells for $3.6 million

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta

A 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta, the coupe which was restored in 2005 and the Mille Miglia of that year, sold for $3.6 million in a sale of classic autos held by RM Auctions in London on October 26. This Ferrari joins a long list of classic 250s that have sold for seven-figure mark, and is one of just 39 competition Berlinettas produced by the company with all-alloy bodywork.

The 250 GT LWB Berlinetta was purchased by a telephone bidder. Its price including fees was the highest of the evening, amounting to $3.6 million. It was the most highly valued lot, with an expected hammer price of as high as $3.8 million. The Berlinetta lived in the United States for the majority of its years, until a U.K. collector bought it a few years back. It raced in the 2005 Mille Miglia, and the engine was replaced at one point.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta interior

But, three of the prominent four lots did not sell at a London auction that includes another Ferrari, an Aston Martin and a Lamborghini. The cars that failed to sell include a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spyder, determined at $2.4 million to $2.9 million, and a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT, one of only 75 built, valued at $1.24 million to $1.4 million. Buyers also passed on a red-and-gold 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV that was extensively restored in Australia in the mid-2000s. Reflecting increasing values for 1970s supercars, this was priced at $1.2 million to $1.4 million.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta front view

RM Auctions offered about 100 investment-grade cars in its annual sale at Battersea Park, south London. Including 25 motorcycles, the sale was estimated to raise between $19 million and $23 million. The equivalent event last year, featuring a James Bond Aston Martin DB5 at $4,6 million, made over $30 million with 87 percent of the cars successful. RM’s official selling rate this year, like the total sale figure, was not immediately available and Dave Selby, a senior analyst at the U.K.-based research company Historic Automobile Group International (HAGI), said he estimated it to be about 70 percent.

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Ferrari's Revolutionary Breadvan/Review

Ferrari's replacement for the 612 Scaglietti has finally come out of the closet ushering a radical new concept for the famed company from Maranello. The FF, which is an acronym for Ferrari Four, is probably the company's most versatile series production model ever featuring seating and luggage space for four, an all-wheel drive system and a shooting brake body style. It will be revealed at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show with sales to follow later in the year.

Designed by Pininfarina, the FF is a large sports car measuring 4,907 mm in length, 1,953 in width and 1,379 mm in height. The elongated roofline, the styling of the rear quarter and the car's proportions bring to mind a variety of older models, one of which is the BMW Z3 Coupe. 

The Prancing Horse company has not published any photos of the interior yet, but notes that the FF "can comfortably accommodate four people and their luggage". Talking about boot capacity, there's 450 liters of space with all four passengers about, or 800 liter with the rear seats folded.

Ferrari added that it has developed a vast array of personalization options and accessories for the FF, including include six model-specific exterior colors and interior trims.

There's a lot going on under the sheetmetal as the FF introduces company’s first ever [production] four-wheel drive system. Called 4RM, it is said to weigh 50 per cent less than a conventional four-wheel drive system, thus helping to maintain an almost perfect weight distribution [47:53].

The Italian company has released few other details about the system, but it claims "it delivers record levels of performance on all terrains and in all conditions via continuous and intelligent predictive torque distribution to all four wheels."

The FF is powered by a brand new 6.3-liter V12 engine with direct injection and Ferrari's HELE tech that includes a stop/start system. Sitting up front, the 12-cylinder motor delivers 660-horses at 8,000 rpm and is hooked up to dual-clutch F1 gearbox. Ferrari said the FF completes the 0-100km/h [62mph] sprint in 3.7 seconds and 335 km/h (208 mph), while returning a combined fuel economy of 15.4 lt/100km, equal to 15.3 mpg US, with CO2 emissions of 360 g/km.

The GT tips the scales at a hefty 1,790 kg or 3,946 pounds, but thanks to the powerful V12, it boasts a weight-to-power ratio of 2.7 kg/hp.

Other highlights include the latest magnetorheological damping system (SCM3), as well as the most recent development in carbon-ceramic brakes from Brembo.

More details will be released at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but until then, check out the photos and video below, and tell us what you think about Ferrari's latest model in the comments section.

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special cars/2011 Ferrari SA Aperta

Another auto show, another awesome Ferrari that hardly anyone will ever get to drive. The 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta ($TBA) is a super-sexy drop-top version of the company's 599 GTB Fiorano, named for legendary designers Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, and sporting a front-engine V12, virtually no ground clearance, integrated roll-bars, a very light soft top meant for emergency use only, and stiffness and weight similar to that of the hard-top version thanks to some fancy engineering. Unfortunately, only 80 are being made, and all 80 have already been sold.

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SPECIAL CARS/1957 Ferrari 250 TR

If the words "1957 Ferrari" aren't enough to get you excited, we can't help you. The 1957 Ferrari 250 TR ($TBA) is one of only 22 of the very rare racers built, with Speed Racer-esque pontoon fenders, black paint with white numbers and a black nose, red seats with white piping, a gated shifter, and racing heritage that includes a fourth place finish in the 1000 km Buenos Aires in January 1958. It's an absolute classic.

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$16.4 Million Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – Most Expensive Car Sold At Auction

1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa sets a new record as the most expensive car sold at auction, after fetching $16.4 million at  the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance at Monterey Car Week in California. This red Ferrari  has suffered  damage in the Le Mans 24-hour race and been wrecked in a fire, but has since been professionally restored to its former glory.

The car is the first of Testa Rossa built and was used as a prototype for the many others that came during the 1950s and 1960s. The car has 300-horsepower, a 3.0-liter V-12 engine, a four-speed manual transmission and was used in races in both the U.S. and Europe.

The ultra-rich remain ultra-rich, Swiss-based Ferrari historian Marcel Massini told. The very, very best sells easily and incredibly high. The identity of the seller and the buyer is still unknown.

The previous record for a car sold at auction was the $12 million sale of another 1957 Testa Rossa in Maranello, Italy in 2009.

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2012 Ferrari 458 Spider Set to Debut at Frankfurt Show

The first images of 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider have finally been revealed ahead of Frankfurt Auto Show. Described by the Italian carmaker as the first mid-rear-engine supercar to feature a retractable roof, the 458 Italia Spider is set to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2012.

The 458 Spider is powered by a naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 liter V8 unit from the 458 Italia coupe which delivers 570 hp and 398 lb-ft. The power is transferred to the road by a dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and ABS. Ferrari claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.5 seconds, or a tenth of a second slower than the fixed-roof model, and a top speed of 198 mph.

The new Ferrari 458 Spider is a hard-top convertible with a top made of aluminum, offering a weight reduction of 4.4 pounds in weight. Made from aluminum, the patented structure is claimed to automatically retract back to a dedicated stowage area behind the seats, in front of the engine bay, in just 14 seconds. It’s said to be compact, too. Ferrari says there is a small luggage bench behind the front seats to carry a few bags.

Ferrari also includes an electrically adjustable wind deflector, which bosses claim allows occupants to have a normal conversation even at speeds of up to 124mph. The rear of the car is characterised by innovative forms with the buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators. Changes have also been made to the dampers and throttle mapping, although Ferrari hasn’t revealed any further details on these tweaks. The wailing engine note from the 458’s triple exhausts is already one of the finest sounds in motoring, but Ferrari has fettled it further in a bid to give the Spider the perfect top-down soundtrack.

The Ferrari 458 Spider will be on display in Frankfurt in September, and price list and exact on sale date will be announced later.

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