Ferrari 599 GTO: Confirmed, Coming, and the Fastest Ferrari Street Car Yet

In this wavering
automotive time,
if there is one
automaker that
has remained true
to its roots, it is
the Italian sports-
car maker Ferrari.

Enzo Ferrari once
said, aerodynamics
are for people who
cannot build engines!

Confirming earlier

reports of a new high-performance model, Ferrari took the cover off of the
599 GTO at the Beijing auto show. This new sports-car is an evolution of
the 599XX track racer, and it carries itself in honor of previous race cars
made for the street like the 250 GTO and the 288 GTO.

The 599 GTO will be the fastest road driving Ferrari ever. The factory claims
the front-engine rear-wheel drive 599 GTO with its 6.0-liter V12 developing
670 hp and 457 lb. ft. of torque holds the lap record at Fiorano of 1.24. The
time is nearly one second faster that the iconic Enzo.

The 599 GTO features light-weight construction including thin gauge
aluminum panels, thinner glass as well as second generation carbon-ceramic
brakes. This results in a curb weight of only 3538 lbs. or about 220 lbs. lighter
than the 599 GTB.

The GTO goes without the 599XX's rear pillar wiglets, but it will have a
number of the 599XX's aerodynamic features such as a new nose profile, a
flat-bottom, and unique wheel doughnuts that redirect the brakes' cooling air
to lower drag.

The 599 GTO's suspension has been returned with new springs, a stiffer
antiroll bar at the rear as well as updated magnetorheological shocks (this
involves an electrical charge being applied the shocks' fluid to change the
dampening characteristics within milliseconds resulting in exceptional
ride/handling characteristics).

On the interior, the 599 GTO has longer carbon-fiber paddle shifters to shift
The F1 six-speed semi-automatic transmission. Also, a Virtual Race
Engineer provides the driver with a display of the vehicle's performance.

And how many 599 GTOs will Ferrari produce? 599 cars.

Full out driving impressions are on the way. For now, view the slideshow
below to see this terrific sports-car.

Have an auto question or comment? You can email it to me at
Kbusch3@verizon.net.Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best
for the Price..." www.DriveTheBestBook.com.