Review of the new Ferrari 599 GTO

There's nothing like a lap record to get the attention of the performance car world and Ferrari's 599 GTO exploded on to the scene with a couple of 'em. As the internet forums went into overdrive and the country's leading pub bores set about committing its specifications to memory, the GTO had already sold out at some £285,000 a time.

That was the going rate for ownership of the fastest road-going Ferrari, the car with the lap record for the Italian firm's Fiorano test track and the model which, in heavily modified 599XX guise and on slick tyres, broke the fabled seven-minute barrier for a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife. If the 599 GTO achieves the legendary status Ferrari appears to have mapped out for it, 599 lucky owners will have got themselves a bargain.

The GTO or 'Gran Turismo Omologata' badge is not one that Ferrari bestows lightly. It's reserved for super-focused versions of its standard products, cars produced to comply with the homologation regulations of motorsport series which demand that road-legal versions of race cars must be available before they can compete. Classic examples include the 250 GTO of 1962 and the 288 GTO of the 1980s, the car often credited with inventing the modern supercar concept. It all gives the 599 GTO a lot to live up to.

The standard 599 GTB Fiorano provided the basis for the insane 599XX track car and some of that model's extensive engine, aerodynamic and weight-saving modifications appear in road-legal form on the 599 GTO. The 5,999cc V12 engine from which the model takes its name develops 670bhp at 8,250rpm for a specific output of 112bhp per litre. Maximum torque of 620Nm is delivered at 6,500rpm and sent to the rear wheels via Ferrari's F1 automated manual gearbox which is capable of performing gear changes in just 60 milliseconds. Against the clock, the GTO will pass 60mph in 3.4s before surging on to a 208mph maximum.

".the 599 GTO appears to have future classic written all over it."

Helping drivers deploy the awesome performance potential of the GTO is an array of electronic systems. The SCM2 suspension control system continuously adjusts the firmness of the car's dampers according to the road surface and the settings laid down through the driver control interface. Ferrari's F1-Trac stability control technology works to maximise performance in line with the levels of available grip, helping drivers get the power on earlier and harder as the car roars out of a corner.

Drivers can control the parameters of the 599 GTO's various systems by selecting Low Grip, Sport or Race modes. There's also a CT-OFF setting that deactivates the traction control functionality but retains stability control, while the CST-OFF function is for talented or foolhardy individuals who want to explore the limits of the 599 GTO without any electronic intervention.

There's a 100kg weight saving made on the 599 GTO compared to the 599 GTB Fiorano. It's achieved through the use of advanced materials, the redesign of specific parts and some all-new high-tech components. Thinner aluminium and glass, forged aluminium wheel rims, carbon fibre race seats and carbon-ceramic brakes all make their contribution to the low kerb weight and, ultimately, to the car's superior agility.

The vents and spoilers that define the surface of the 599 GTO help give it double the downforce force of the GTB Fiorano and a similar quantity of extra visual aggression. At the same time, the aerodynamic design funnels air through the vehicle, providing the immense cooling power that the engine and brakes need to operate efficiently. The classic front/mid engined layout gives the car a vast bonnet and a cabin drawn back over its powerful rear haunches. It's the classic shape of the 599 but the GTO version is clearly something altogether more extreme.

The cabin is as pared back as expected in a car as intently focused on the job of going quickly as this one but Ferrari is proud of the quality feel it's managed to instil. There's plenty of exposed aluminium and carbon fibre with the seats finished in fabric and Alcantara. The F1 gearbox console was completely redesigned for this car, bringing the controls within even easier reach.

With 670bhp and the Ferrari GTO badge, the 599 GTO was never going to be an affordable option or anything less than highly exclusive. Only 599 cars were scheduled to be built and they were sold within weeks of the car being unveiled and displayed to a select group of Ferrari customers. Almost all of the features are included in the £285,000 asking price including the Virtual Race Engineer which gives real time updates on the status of the car and its performance. One option is a leather and Alcantara covering for the seats and if you're spending close to £300,000 anyway, well, why not?

Running costs are lightly to be fairly astronomical by the standards of ordinary motorists but 599 GTO buyers won't care. A car as special as this one with this potential to appreciate in value makes the cost of fuel and parts almost an irrelevance. Needless to say, kerbing an alloy wheel or dinging the front splitter on a speed hump is not something you'd want to make a habit of. For the record, official fuel economy is 16mpg and emissions are 411g/km.

When the 599 GTO took the lap record for Ferrari's Fiorano test track from the Enzo hypercar and borrowed cutting edge technology from the 599XX track model that broke the seven minute barrier at the Nurburgring, it guaranteed its place in automotive folklore. Ferrari has even higher hopes for the car which were highlighted by giving it the evocative GTO moniker seen on some of the finest Ferraris of all time. With 670bhp giving rise to 200mph performance, advanced aerodynamics, weight saving measures and the latest electronic driver aids, the 599 GTO appears to have future classic written all over it.