240 | GOODWOOD REVIVAL SALEThe fabulous and exclusive Ferrari supercar offered here represents
the ultimate high-performance derivative of the 599 GTB Fiorano:
the 599XX Evoluzione, a competition derived track car intended for
VIP customers only. As such, the Evoluzione was Ferrari’s latest
venture in its highly successful ‘Corse Clienti’ product development
programme.
Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in February 2006, the 599
GTB Fiorano took its name from Ferrari’s famous test track and was
the latest in a succession of models named after places associated
with the marque such as Modena and Maranello. Its immediate
predecessor - the 575 Maranello - had met with a mixed reception,
disappointing those that had so admired the 550 Maranello, so
Ferrari had some catching up to do in designing the 599.
Having favoured the mid-engined layout for its 12-cylinder road
cars from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, Ferrari had surprised
everyone when it introduced the 550 Maranello. The latter’s arrival
in 1997 saw the Italian manufacturer return to its tradition of building
front-engined V12 two-seater sports cars, resurrecting a line that
had remained dormant since the demise of the 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’
in 1974. The 599 was the latest in this noble line that stretched all
the way back to the 250GT SWB of the early 1960s.
In designing the 599, Ferrari abandoned the tubular steel chassis of
the 550/575, adopting a more advanced and lighter all-aluminium
chassis of greatly increased stiffness. Styled by Pininfarina under
the direction of Ferrari’s Frank Stephenson, the 599 with its long
bonnet, small cabin, raised haunches and aggressive stance
seemed the very definition of the term ‘sports car’. The body’s
aerodynamics were developed in the wind tunnel, where hours
of testing ensured that the minimum of drag was combined
with constant downforce regardless of set up, an important
consideration in a 200mph road car. Styling details such as the
front brake ducts and hot air outlets behind the front wheelarches
recalled the great competizione Ferraris of the past while the tail
incorporated Ferrari’s characteristic twin circular lights.The heart of any Ferrari is its engine, and the 599’s 48-valve,
6.0-litre V12 was a reworked version of that found in the Enzo
supercar. As installed in the 599, this state-of-the-art unit produced
a staggering 612bhp at 7,600rpm with maximum torque of 448lb/ft
at 5,600 revs. Weighing a claimed 1,690kg, the 599 has a power-
to-weight ratio of 362bhp per tonne, far eclipsing the 291bhp/tonne
of its 575 Maranello predecessor. Developed as part of Ferrari’s
Formula 1 programme, the paddle shift gearbox had become a
feature of its range-topping sports cars and was available in its
latest form for the 599, capable of changing gear in a mere 100
milliseconds. A conventional six-speed gearbox was available also.Although active suspension had long been banned form Formula
1, its development for road cars had continued and the 599 came
equipped with SCM magnetorheological ‘semi-active’ dampers.276 Ω
2012 fERRARI 599XX
EVO lUzi OnE C OU pé
Chassis no. ZFF69PXX000188894