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Report: Limited Edition Ferrari 599 GTO Is Go

 
7 6,614 views January 6, 2010

2010 ferrari gtb 599xx live shots 002

Ferrari recently showed off its new Laboratorio Technologico 599XX experimental car (pictured) based on the regular 599 GTB Fiorano, and while we all wished the wild concept would eventually enter production, the chances of actually buying one are next to nil except maybe for a few lucky people enlisted as Ferrari client test drivers.

However, a tamer version of the car, while still aimed at well-heeled track enthusiasts, is expected to be launched--and be actually road-legal.

Similar in theory to the F430 Scuderia and the 360 Challenge Stradale before that, a hardcore version of the 599 GTB is reportedly in the works and tipped to revive the most hallowed of Ferrari badges, the GTO. In fact, it will be the first time those three letters have been used since the 288 GTO ended production almost a quarter of a century ago.

Speaking with EVO, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa explained that the 599 has now been adopted into the automaker’s sports car division (previously it was classified as a GT) alongside the new 458 Italia. The change means Ferrari is now free to develop and launch a much more extreme version of the car.

The 599’s venerable 6.0-liter V-12 is expected to be pumped up to around 700-horsepower for application in the GTO, and this is to be accompanied by an extensive weight-saving program shedding up to 150 pounds from the car’s kerb weight, as well as a host of aerodynamic aids.

Visually, the car will look similar to the Laboratorio Technologico 599XX but not quite as extreme. Some of the aerodynamic aids from the concept car, such as the new winglets on the rear buttresses and F1-derived ‘doughnuts’ covering the wheels, could carry over into production, however.

Production will almost certainly be limited, with numbers likely to hover around the 500 mark, and the most likely reveal date will be the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March.

[EVO]


HI-RES GALLERY: 2010 ferrari gtb 599xx live shots 002




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Comments (7)

  1. By  My Wheels On Walls Posted: 11/18/2009 11:03pm PST

    Thats it a 150lb? This is Ferrari, go nuts and charge for it. I mean rip out the stereo, AC, Heat, side and rear glass and replace with plastic, fenders, hood, doors, trunk lid, bumpers done in carbon fiber. Also sound deadening gone, zero interior trim (think F40) the list goes on.
    Next build only 50 and price them at a profit. You'd sell them all as the badge on the front says Ferrari and the marketing materail would read "Shu'ie" approved and tested!!!!
     
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  2. By Andy Posted: 11/18/2009 11:11pm PST

    I visited the Ferrari factory about a month ago.... and the 599XX project is going to be like the FXX project... a limited amount of cars, expensive and the cars are only ment to be used on track... SO THE 599XX CARS ARE COMING, I saw one driving over Fiorano track... and they sound pretty incredible, and from what i saw it does not have traction control :-p
     
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  3. By  r4i Posted: 11/18/2009 11:45pm PST

    For those who don’t know, the names ‘GTO’ and ‘Ferrari’ are synonymous with some of the the fastest and most collectible cars in the world. Among the classic Ferrari’s that use the name are the 250 GTO, widely reputed to be the worlds most expensive car, and the 288 GTO. Needless to say, both these cars had reputations on the road and the track.
     
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  4. By  online auction Posted: 11/19/2009 6:15am PST

    this car is really on fire!it must be one hell of a car to drive.
     
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  5. fb_100000275684479 avatar Michael Escobar Posted: 1/6/2010 9:41am PST

    Hmm, I wonder if they'll sell it in America? Does anybody know who owns the rights to the name "GTO" in America? Obviously, Pontiac ripped off the name from Ferrari (as well as Mitsubishi did later), but I wonder if GM hold the legal rights, since they were the most recent to use it. I somehow remember hearing a story that GM had to pay off Ferrari for every GTO it sold in the '60s, for using the name.
     
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  6. By The Dutch Guy Posted: 1/6/2010 1:07pm PST

    This is awesome!!! What a fantastic looking car! With it's black top it looks a bit like the C6 Corvette ZR1, am i right? And that's one of my favourite cars.
    And if it will be called "GTO", they'll bring back a legendary name. In the 50's and 60's that name really stood for some of the most fabulous Ferrari's ever made. So bring it on, Ferrari!!!
     
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  7. By  ds accessories Posted: 1/29/2010 12:51am PST

    Expensive and the cars are only ment to be used on track... SO THE 599XX CARS ARE COMING, I saw one driving over Fiorano track... and they sound pretty incredible, and from what i saw it does not have traction control
     
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