Onlookers green with envy. Waiting twitchingly for the traffic light to turn green. A briefcase full of greenbacks. Even British Racing Green, if you’re talking about a GT. You could find a few ways to associate Ferrari with the color green, but the environmental sense would be a bit of a stretch - historically speaking, at least. But the times, as one Mr. Zimmerman wrote, they are a-changing. Now even Maranello has been forced to get on board the “Heal the World” train. And this is the result.

Called the HY-KERS, what you’re looking at is a rolling test bed. It’s a hybrid, sure, but if you thought this was a haphazard application of a plug-and-play hybrid system, think again. The HY-KERS incorporates a roadgoing derivative of Ferrari’s Kinetic Energy Recovery System - fancy-talk for regenerative braking - from last year’s Formula One program.

Ferrari has worked diligently to optimize the benefits of the system to the 599’s performance. The entire system weighs a modest 40 kilograms, partially offset by the obviation of the starter motor and conventional battery. Integrated into the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and mounted below the car’s center of gravity, the system returns over 100 horsepower, supplementing the V12 engine under hard acceleration and it can even operate under full electric power when puttering around town. Of course, a Ferrari never putters around anything, save for when it takes its owner for a round of golf at the local country club.

Novitec Rosso always goes big at the Geneva Motor Show, and this year won’t be any different with the introduction of the 848 RACE, a twin-supercharged version of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

As its name would imply, those two blowers, combined with a set of water-to-air intercoolers, a new exhaust and an ECU tune, are good for 848 horsepower at 7,900 rpm and 621 pound-feet of torque at 6,300 rpm, allowing the matte white and grey supercoupe to run to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, hit 186 mph in 23.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 214 mph flat out.

In addition to the new 20-inch wheels in front and 21-inch hoops in the rear, upgraded Brembo brakes and an adjustable sports suspension that can lift the front of the 599 by 40 mm, aluminum and carbon fiber accents swath the inside, along with an upgraded flat-bottom steering wheel with a switch that opens an additional baffle in the exhaust. Novitec hasn’t released full pricing on the upgrades, but for this kind of custom kit, we’d expect the 848 RACE to command a $200k premium over the base 599.

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari

Few letters hold the same lore for Ferrari fans as G-T-O. Pontiac muscle-cars aside, the letters were first used on the iconic ’60s-era 250 GTO. The 288 GTO followed two decades later and laid the ground for the F40, the first in the modern age of Ferrari supercars. Now the name is set to come back again on an extreme version of the 599 GTB

Bridging the gap between the roadgoing 599 GTB Fiorano and the track-bound experimental 599XX - and filling the hole left by the Enzo - the 599 GTO promises epic levels of performance (and extreme exclusivity) worthy of the GTO moniker. The prospect first broke cover back in November when internal documents referred to a “599 GTO Limited Edition,” and was followed up with more speculative details - including a 700-horsepower output figure - early last month. Now an intrepid observer in Maranello with a camera handy appears to have snapped a camouflaged prototype out in the wild.

Aside from the yards of white vinyl and black tape telling you something’s up, this 599 test mule is wearing big black alloys, a blacked-out roof (like that of the 599XX, albeit sans the extra winglets), a monster rear diffuser and Prova-style factory plates. Beyond that there’s little to tell, but this is the first evidence we have beyond rumors and conjecture as to what Maranello is up to next.

[Source: alVolante.it]

Spy Shots: Ferrari 599 GTO, is that you? originally appeared on Ferrari News on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been almost a year since the Ferrari 599XX made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and we’ve seen the factory-fettled racer quite a few times since. Each of those times has been either in a dealership or on a show floor, though, and the 599XX has yet to be seen running in anger. Until now.

Just ahead of Ferrari’s test of their new Formula 1 car at the Ricardo Tormo circuit outside of Valencia, the 599XX turned its first wheel on-track with none other than Felipe Massa behind the wheel. Massa led a group of seven cars around the circuit, the others piloted by the lucky members of Ferrari’s Corse Clienti program. Fortunately, we might just get to see the 599XX here in the States, as Ferrari has planned various events in America, Europe and Asia for their most special customers.

News of an impending hybrid from Ferrari is nothing new, but now we appear to have an actual date when the Italian supercar manufacturer plans to show such a vehicle in an official setting. And it’s coming soon, during the first week of March at the Geneva Motor Show, says Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo.

The announcement came during the unveiling of Ferrari’s new F10 Formula One car, which seems appropriate as it was during the 2009 F1 season when Ferrari first began using its Kinetic Energy Recovery System - a kind of hybrid technology that captures energy normally lost to braking in a flywheel - in actual competition… with mixed results, of course.

We can’t say for sure what kind of hybrid setup Ferrari will show off in its 599 super hybrid, but something similar in principle to the race-bred KERS seems like a distinct possibility, and we know the automaker has been dabbling in all-wheel-drive hybrids as well. In any case, Ferrari promises a production hybrid vehicle in the near future.

Ferrari often uses its World Finals event to unveil exclusive new versions of its most enticing road cars. The FXX Evoluzione was unveiled there a couple of years ago, and the 16M Scuderia Spider made its debut at the event last year. But aside from a mishap involving Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Luca di Montezemolo in a California convertible, this year’s event at Valencia came and went with nothing new to offer. However, the latest churns from the rumormill indicate Maranello could be working on an exciting new project.

Supposedly leaked pre-order sheets reportedly refer to a “599 GTO Limited Edition”, named in deference to the iconic 250 GTO. Based on the 599 GTB Fiorano, the GTO could be Maranello’s answer to arch-rival Lamborghini’s Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce.

Incorporating design cues and technologies from the 599XX program, the 599 GTO could benefit from a weight-reduction program to cut some 100-150 pound off the curb weight thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber, while squeezing out as much as 700 horsepower from the Enzo-derived 6.0-liter V12. Pricing would be expected to jump by as much as a quarter to nearly $400,000, and if the reports prove accurate, the 599 GTO could be ready for debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March with the first of just 500 examples slated for delivery by this time next year.

It wasn’t so long ago that the idea of seeing an exotic Italian sportscar in mainland China was as much an anathema as a Chinese car in America. But the times, as one Mr. Dylan sang, they are a-changin.’ Today, China is one of Ferrari’s most important markets, where the red Prancing Horse shares the streets with the Red Dragon. To mark that relationship, Ferrari has announced a special edition exclusively for the Chinese market.

Based on the 599 GTB Fiorano with the company’s new Handling GTE package, the China Limited Edition has been updated with special touches designed by Chinese artist Lu Hao: the starter button glows jade green, the tachometer features ancient Chinese characters instead of the usual numerals, and the luggage is emblazoned with a map of the Silk Road taken by the famous Italian explorer Marco Polo. The Rosso Fuoco paintjob with the gray roof mimics the 599XX, and only a dozen examples will be made - with over a billion people in the market, we’re betting they’ll be snapped up fast.

With the new 458 Italia ready to go, the 458 Spider on its way, and the California still fresh on the market, Ferrari is turning its attention from the V8 range to its V12 flagships. CAR sat down with the company’s CEO and managing director Amedeo Felisa, who revealed the full roll-out schedule for not one, not two, but three new V12 supercars currently under development in Maranello.

First up is the 612 Scaglietti, which has been on the market since 2004. That may not seem like a long product life cycle, but considering the lackluster Scag hasn’t exactly won the hearts and minds of enthusiasts and customers, Ferrari is apparently moving ahead with its replacement, due to hit the market by 2012.

Around the same time, we can expect to see the long-anticipated supercar to follow in the footsteps of the 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo. Although Ferrari has been working on hybrid propulsion and other forms of green technology, those bits won’t be ready by the time the Enzo’s successor rolls around, so expect a more conventional V12 (or possibly twin turbo V8) to drive Maranello’s new benchmark.

The replacement for the 599 GTB Fiorano, meanwhile, will take a little longer. The two-seat GT was introduced a few years ago and recently treated to a new HGTE package to keep it ahead of the competition. But although the new 458 is already expected to outgun the Fiorano, and with arch-rival Lamborghini hard at work on a successor to the Murcielago, Ferrari isn’t planning to replace the 599 before 2015.

Bespoke customisation scheme extended to 599 GTB supercar

Ferrari’s One to One personalisation programme has been increased to include the company’s current top-end car, the 599 GTB Fiorano.

The scheme has already been a success on the 612 Scaglietti, and allows customers a visit a dedicated Atelier to Maranello to tweak and create their own individual car. Colour and trim are joined by a vast range of special content when it comes to making a bespoke 599 GTB, and clients will also be assisted by specially trained Ferrari consultants.

There’ll be a recreation of the Maranello Atelier at the Paris motor show, allowing potential Ferrari buyers to go through each stage of making their big-buy bespoke. The California V8 drop-top will also get its first big public unveil at Paris, making Ferrari one of the places to drop by if you’re there.

High-speed car chases on public roads often end in grief than joy. That is what one owner of a Bugatti Veyron supercar discovered after he was pulled over for speeding. The driver of the left hand-drive Bugatti Veyron was fined for racing a Ferrari 599 on Britain’s M27 motorway. The Bugatti as photographs suggest, lead the race for the majority of the ten minutes duration before being pulled over by a BMW Police car. The police car had to reach speeds close to 140 mph to catch up with the Supercar.
The driver of 599 got away with it as he used all of the V12’s 600-odd horsepower and his superior driving abilities to avoid punishment. Furthermore, the car had no number plates, so the cops found it impossible to track the car or the driver. The driver of the Bugatti was given three penalty points and a fixed fine of £60. He was clocked doing 97 mph on a 50 mph zone.

Ferrari 599

Aluminum Alloy V12
aspiration: Natural
valvetrain: DOHC, 4 Valves per Cyl
fuel feed: Multi-Point Fuel Injection
displacement: 5999 cc
power: 611 bhp
bhp/weight: 361.97 bhp per tonne
torque: 607.41 nm
redline: 8400 rpm
top speed: 330 kph

Bugatti Veyron

Aluminium, W16
aspiration: Quad Turbocharged
valvetrain: DOHC 4 Valves / Cyl w/VVT
fuel feed: Direct Sequential Injection
displacement: 7993 cc
power: 1001 bhp
bhp/weight: 490.45 bhp per tonne
torque: 1250 nm
redline: 6500 rpm
topspeed: 407 kph