599 GTB Fiorano to Replace the Overweight Albeit Top-Selling MaranelloFerrari epitomizes niche carmakers, filling gaps within its lineup that are so thin that most brands wouldn't even notice a bi-xenon bulb
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The new 599 GTB will be the prancing horse brand's most powerful production model of all time. (Photo: Ferrari of North America)
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shining from behind. Case in point: the new 599 GTB Fiorano (long rumoured to be called the 600 Imola), replacement for the 575M GTC, a car that when introduced as the 550 Maranello in 1996, ushered Ferrari into the age of two-seat refinement.
I drove the first-generation F550 and was close to overwhelmed. Not only was it among the more powerful and well-mannered GTs I'd ever had the privilege of driving, but it was positively luxurious inside. The new GTB, a designation not seen attached to the rear end of a V12-powered Ferrari since the much celebrated Daytonas of the '70s, will not only increase the opulence factor while improving refinement and quality levels, but it will also stake claim to being the prancing horse marque's most powerful production model of all time.
The design is unmistakably Ferrari, and its berlinetta configuration makes it one of the the Maranello factory's most classically shaped. Immediately noticeable are vertically penned headlamp clusters that are reminiscent of Giorgetto Giugiaro's recently introduced GG50 Concept
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| Immediately noticeable are vertically penned headlamp clusters that are reminiscent of Giorgetto Giugiaro's recently introduced GG50 Concept. (Photo: Ferrari of North America) |
(see Ferrari section in the Concept Cars or Prototypes archive of this website), a design that looks even more stunning in the metal than it does in photos. While the headlights are more organically shaped than the knife-edge slits on Giugiaro's swan song car, more in line with Ferrari's lovely 612 Scaglietti that was actually the basis for the GG50, the new model's classically proportioned ovoid grille opening flanked by twin braking vents probably looks too close to the GG50 for comfort, at least when considering that the one-off model came to life as a project to commemorate Giugiaro's 50 years of automotive design and retirement from the automotive business, and did so from his famed ItalDesign studio. ID is a competitor to Pininfarina, which penned the new 599, so Giugiaro will no doubt be flattered by the similarities between the two cars.
In
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| The new 599 GTB will replace the 575M GTC, a car that when introduced as the 550 Maranello in 1996. (Photo: Ferrari of North America) |
true Pininfarina fashion, mind you, the 599 GTB is both aggressive in nature and elegant in shape, an ideal mixture of tense angles and familiar curves. From the rear the new GTB's duet of circular tail lamps are unique among modern Ferraris, more akin to the classic 275 GTB, and therefore nothing similar to the GG50's rear lenses. Actually, other than the red paint scheme and prancing horse badge affixed to the rear deck lid, only a DNA test could show a relationship exists between these two vehicles.
That DNA test would find a large displacement
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| The 599's new V12 will be capable of no less than 620-horsepower at a stratospheric 7,600 rpm. (Photo: Ferrari of North America) |
Ferrari V12 under the hood of both, although the 599 GTB's displacement is larger by 300 cubic centimeters, pushing near the six-litre mark at 5,999 cubic centimeters. Ferrari pulled much of the engine's architecture from the oddly shaped Enzo, but according to the Italian marque the new V12 will be capable of no less than 620-horsepower at a stratospheric (for production V12s at least) 7,600 rpm before reaching 8,400 rpm at full spin, allowing for an estimated power to weight ratio of 2.6 kilos (5.7 pounds) per horsepower - which incidentally translates into an estimated 1,603 kilo (3,534 pound) curb weight - substantially lighter than the outgoing 575M which weighs in at a rather chunky 1,730 kilos (3,814 lbs). As for torque, its 448 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm gives it a 14 lb-ft advantage over the outgoing 575M's 434 lb-ft at 5,250 rpm.
