Ferrari 599 Review

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is Ferrari's latest front-engine, rear-wheel-drive 12-cylinder exotic sports car. It gets its name from a combination of its engine displacement of 5,999cc, "Gran Turismo Berlinetta," which is Italian for "grand touring hardtop" and Fiorano, Ferrari's test track in Fiorano Modenese, Italy.

Current Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

The 599 GTB Fiorano debuted for the 2007 model year. Powered by a retuned version of the V12 engine found in the F1-inspired Ferrari Enzo road car, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano produces a dizzying 612 horsepower and 448 pound-feet of torque. With a curb weight of 3,722 pounds, that gives the 599 GTB a stunning weight-to-power ratio of 6.1 pounds per hp. Ferrari claims the car can go from zero to 60 mph in less than 3.7 seconds, with a top speed of around 205 mph.

Much of the 599's chassis is shared with the four-seat 612 Scaglietti, which uses a light yet strong all-aluminum space frame construction. Extra effort went into the 599's weight optimization, with the car's mass being centralized for better handling responsiveness. Some design elements are also similar to the 612, but cues specific to the 599, such as rising haunches, flying-buttress roof pillars and an assortment of air intakes and extractors give the 599 its own unique look.

As expected, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano doesn't come cheap, nor is it readily available; Ferrari claims it could be "years" before would-be drivers on the wait list get their eager hands on the 599's luxurious, leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The 6.0-liter V12 can be paired with either a traditional six-speed manual transmission or Ferrari's "F1 SuperFast" six-speed, sequential-shift manual gearbox. With the latter, drivers can choose a fully automatic shifting mode or manually select gears via steering-wheel-mounted paddles. A sophisticated suspension system uses magnetic dampers that firm up in milliseconds in response to aggressive cornering, yet soften up for relaxed highway cruising. The Fiorano also uses a new traction control system, "F1-Trac," which was supposedly tuned with help from world-famous F1 racecar driver Michael Schumacher.

Inside the cabin, the well-shaped seats are sporty and supportive. Premium leather and aluminum accents enrich the ambience. An optional carbon-fiber steering wheel uses integrated LEDs that move in lockstep with engine revs. Drivers can adjust the car's many interactive systems (such as stability control, suspension settings and F1-gearbox response) via a knob on the steering wheel called the "manettino" -- Italian for "little manager." The Bose Media System features 5.1 surround sound, satellite radio, a hard-drive-based navigation system, Bluetooth, iPod connectivity and a USB port. The Bose system also includes a multi-use disc player, which can play virtually any type of disc or file format, including CDs, DVDs, MP3s and AAC.

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano's performance is undeniably thrill-inducing. The car remains so flat and glued to the road while cornering that there is practically no body roll, tire squeal or sliding. The F1 gearbox makes gearchanges with speed that no mere mortal could ever match. Still, the 599's steering leaves a bit to be desired -- it's too light at ultra-high speeds, and the ratio also seems a touch slow for an exotic sports car, as tight cornering requires more hand movement than we'd expect.