At nearly 210 mph, the 2011 599 GTO is the fastest road car Ferrari has ever produced.
It’s a good thing they’re building all those new roads in China. You’ll need a good stretch of tarmac to enjoy the new 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO, which is set to make its formal debut at this month’s Beijing Motor Show.
If the look is familiar, that’s because the limited edition Ferrari 599 GTO is based on the experimental track car, the Ferrari 599XX. The 599, which Ferrari defines as an “extreme V12 berlinetta,” will be the fastest road-going sports car the Italian automaker has ever unleashed, with a top speed of 335 kmh (209 mph), and a 0 to 60 time of 3.35 seconds.
Powering this sexy Italian beast is a 6.0-liter V12 making a hefty 661 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a 6-speed Formula One-style gearbox.
The experimental 599XX strongly influenced the design and development of the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
The GTO designation – short for Gran Turismo Omologata – harkens back to several Ferrari classics, including the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which dominated the GT racing circuit, and the the iconic 1984 Ferrari GTO, arguably the first true supercar.
Ferrari officials are boasting about a near-complete lack of understeering, crediting both the chassic mechanicals and the use of sophisticated new electronic control systems, including a magnetorheological suspension system. Borrowing from the company’s Formula One program, the 599 GTO features a new Virtual Race Engineer interface, which provides instantaneous vehicle performance feedback and replaces conventional dials and gauges.
There’s also the next-generation CCM2 carbon-ceramic brakes, which are reportedly lighter yet more efficient than the current technology.
A race-derived virtual information center keeps a driver on top of everything happens with the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
Aerodynamics play a key role in achieving the 335 kmh top speed, but so do the new Michelin Supersport tires, developed specifically for the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO. Among the new aero features are wheel doughnuts – a disc positioned outside the brake disc that ensures that hot air exiting the wheel arch stays as close to the body of the car as possible reducing drag.
If you’re looking to add your name to the list, move quickly. Ferrari plans, appropriately enough, to build just 599 of the new GTOs, each carrying a sticker price of around $500,000.