599 GTO: fastest Ferrari ever

Fastest. Ferrari. Ever. The 599 GTO is the fastest road-going car that Ferrari has ever created. Do you really need to know any more?

You do? Oh, alright then. Click through our shiny gallery for all the information on the deeply, deeply awesome 599 GTO. Prepare to want one in a very deep and meaningful way...

Words: Sam Philip

Remember the 599XX – the 700bhp experimental track car unveiled last year and featuring mad future-tech including synthetic aero jets, F1-style doughnut brake covers and a porous diffuser? Well, meet the road-going version. Far more than just a hotted up version of the standard (ha!) 599, that’s what the 599 GTO is: a homologated, road-legal 599XX. Oh yes.

So it is hilariously, absurdly powerful and fast. The 599’s naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 features a redesigned crankshaft and race-derived air intake system, and now puts out a fearsome 661bhp and 457lb ft of torque. That’s 50bhp more than the standard (ha!) 599. In a car weighing just under one-and-a-half tonnes, that means a power-to-weight ratio of 441bhp/tonne… and a 0-62mph time of – ready for this? – 3.35 seconds.

Three-point-three-five. In a FRONT-ENGINED car. That’s insane. As is the GTO’s top speed – described as ‘in excess of 208mph’. But here’s the most impressive stat. The 599XX lapped Fiorano – Ferrari’s test track – in 1m24s. That’s quicker than an Enzo, quicker than a Maserati MC12. A full five seconds quicker than the F40.

Downforce plays a big part in that astonishing lap time. By stealing lots of the clever bits from the 599XX, the GTO generates 144kg of downforce at 120mph with no increase in drag. There’s a flat underbody, a separate lower wing, new diffusers at front and rear – and, most technicredibly, ‘wheel doughnuts’. These are positioned outside the brake disc, and ensure that hot air exiting the wheel is channelled along the car’s bodywork to minimise drag. That’s mighty clever, that is.

The GTO gets new springs and Ferrari’s second-generation of magnetorheological suspension, as well as a new breed of carbon ceramic brakes, which will haul the GTO from 62mph to a standstill in 32 metres. This, in other words, is a serious bit of kit.

So it’s safe to assume it’ll be seriously priced, too. Though Ferrari is yet to make a formal announcement, expect a production run limited to just 599 cars… and a price tag somewhere near to £300,000. Or a 50 per cent price hike on the standard (ha!) 599.

For the Fastest Ferrari Ever, that sounds like a bargain...