Maranello's New True GT
Due on sale midyear, Ferrari 599 GTB caught almost naked in final testing
By MATT DAVIS
AutoWeek | Published 01/16/06, 3:06 pm et
AT A GLANCE:
FERRARI 599 GTB
ON SALE: September
BASE PRICE: $240,000 (est.)
POWERTRAIN: 6.0-liter, 611-hp, 460-lb-ft V12; rwd, seven-speed sequential manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3534 lbs
0 TO 60 MPH: 3.7 seconds (est.)
With Ferrari's replacement for the 575M Maranello due to be shown officially at the Geneva motor show next month, we have the latest shots of the prototype on final shakedown runs and the first official photos of the car. Most of the recent testing has been done at the company test track in Fiorano, but the 599 GTB was sighted several times tearing around the Nürburgring.
Insiders say spy shots were leaked early by Maranello in order to steal some of the attention from the Lamborghini Miura at the Detroit auto show. In an added cry for attention, Ferrari also released official information for the 599 GTB at the Detroit showwhile we were submitting this story. The car is known internally at Ferrari as F139. Other names bandied about were Imola, F600 Imola, Maranello and Testarossa.
The 599 GTB aluminum body sits on a shortened version of the extruded aluminum space-frame architecture used on the 612 Scaglietti. The 599s two doors are significantly shorter than those on the 612. This brings the wheelbase down to 110 inches, but the overall width remains close to the 612s.
Weighing under 4000 pounds, the 599 GTB is set to leave the 4056-pound Scaglietti and the 4341-pound 575M in the dust.
At its heart is the latest incarnation of the F133F V12 engine used in the 612 Scaglietti. Where the 612 naming is liberal in its claim to a 6.0-liter (it is just 5748 cc), the 599 will have 1 cc greater capacity than the Enzos 5998 cc. Both the 575M Maranello and 612 Scaglietti manage 434 lb-ft of torque. The 599 GTBs torque will rise to 460 lb-ft and be available lower in the revs, starting near 2000 rpm and rushing clear up to 6000 rpm.
Hence, all-important 0-to-60-mph bragging rights will give the 599 with updated F1 sequential shifting a 3.7-second result, keeping it even with the upcoming Porsche 997 911 Turbo, also to be introduced at Geneva. Compare this to the 4.2-second time on the 575M and 612, and the message is clear: The 599 will be a much more adept track car.
Regarding horsepower, the 599 is earmarked for 611 horses maxing at 7600 rpm vs. the 508 hp of the 575M and the 533 hp of the 612. Power-to-weight is set at 5.8 pounds per horse, making dry weight 3534 pounds. Visualizing this, and with the engine reportedly tucked back even farther behind the front axle, has us anticipating all of our favorite curves.Standard wheels and tires will be 19 inches as on the F430 instead of the 18-inch sets seen on the 575M and the 612. In the end, the entire setup for the 599 GTB already is making us hungrier than ever to hit the track. It is nice to see Ferrari finally get the modern front-mid V12 strategy back toward its proper GT heritage.
Whats more, the 599 GTB will not mess around with being any sort of people carrier. No rear seats means not only great room for the two people inside, but also room for luggage.
Not being ones to leave well enough alone these days, Ferrari is also throwing in the F1-inspired e-diff technology as seen on the F430. Weve seen a few video clips of the car in handling exercises around Fiorano, and it seems exactly as capable and solid as the F430. Of course, with those four extra cylinders screaming for more, the power out of every turn is more intense.
Ratios on the F1 sequential box are also shorter in the first four gears to aid all the acceleration excitement were hinting at.
Styling for the 599 GTB is by the same teams at Pininfarina responsible for the F430 and 612, while final approval was given last spring by former Ferrari-Maserati head of GT styling Frank Stephenson.The cars front end is a less corpulent version of the 612 look, while the rear end sets the GTB apart. Losing the rear clown seats makes the (Corvette-like, dare we say?) tail possible. There are sharper edges in every main contour line, and the usual two pairs of round taillights now change to a single larger unit on either side. And as big an improvement as the 612 Scaglietti is for Ferrari interior design, the 599 GTB is said to be a step beyond that.
Long-term plans for the 599 GTB are just as varied as those for the outgoing 575M. One year after the coupes Feb. 28 introduction at Geneva, Ferrari will show the spider, then a GTC track version and perhaps even a Superamerica.
Pricing ought to start at or near $240,000 when U.S. sales begin late this summer.
