1st March 2006-One of the more exciting releases of 2006 is the 599 GTB Fiorano. It replaces the 550/575 Maranello and offers more interior space and power than its predecessors. It also leaves behind the 575 as the last Ferrari to use a steel chassis and completes Ferrari's overhaul of their entire range which is now all-aluminum.

As with all Ferrari introductions, the 599's initial screening was completed over dinner with trusted dealers and friends, this time at the Palazzo Re Enzo in the Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna. By diner time, so many photos of the car had surfaced, that the Geneva Motor Show release was almost old news. However, the accompanying ladies at Pininfarina's and Ferrari's Geneva stands ensured excitement, even if the cars didn't.

But how can the 599 not impress? Underneath its purposeful skin, the 599 retains the same front engine V12 layout which the 550/575 Maranello line successfully reintroduced, and to make up for its longer chassis, the 599 uses a 6.0-liter engine engineered from the same one found in the Enzo supercar that can reach 612 bhp and 8400 rpm! With it, the 599 is the most powerful front engine Ferrari!

Attached to this engine and sitting in the rear, is a considerably upgraded flappy paddle transmission called the 'F1-Superfast' that changes gears in just 100ms. This is a huge improvement compared to 250 ms in the older roadcar systems, but lags behind the 80ms FXX and 30ms Formula One unit it's named after.

Unfortunately, Ferrari's fully electronic E-Differential, first seen in the F430, is absent. It is intstead replaced with intelligent mototronics called Manettino that adjust the brakes and engine to control power delivery. Ferrari says this type of system is more suitable for the front engine design. When the Manettino switch is turned onto Race or Sport mode a system called F1-Trac montors the difference between the front and rear wheels for optimum traction.

Providing a base for the the 599 are three extruded aluminum sections on which the body is rivited and welded to. This lightweight design makes the 599's chassis 100 kg lighter than the 575 desipte being 250 mm longer. And since the V12 engine is 8 percent lighter and more compact than previous versions it can sit further back in the engine bay and contribute more to 85 percent of weight that is contained bewteen the wheels

At first glance the GTB's styling seems to mimic its larger 4-seat brother, the 612 Scgalietti. Both were designed at the same time and share the common interior bits, as well as similar front end designs which Pininfarina now sets as the enduring face of Ferrari. But unlike the 612, the 599 has an entirely new roof line and much tidier rear end treatment with two sexy rear buttresses that create 25 percent of the 599's downforce. Specifically it produceses 160 kg at 300 kph.

One aspect that gets constant debate are the Delphi-sourced magnetorheological dampers that actively stabilize the car and are totally adjustable. They use special fluid in the dampers that can change viscosity almost instantly with a magnetic field. What this means is that 599 reduces about 30 % more bumps than the 599, and the damping can adjust to what ever suits the driver. The exact same system is used on GM cars such as the Corvette but Ferrari are adamite that their own controlling software is unique.

Like all Ferraris, the 599 comes with a range of options, and for the spirited customers the 'Racing and Track' options include CCM (Carbon Ceramic Material) brakes, 20 inch Challenge one-piece rims with run-flat tyres, four-point harnesses and a cockpit roll-bar.

With the 599, Ferrari seem well on their way. Each year they are selling more cars, and offer increased levels of uncompromising luxury and power. The next chapter for the 599 will hopefully start on the track and end at LeMans.


Article from http://www.supercars.net/cars/3685.html

 

From the Essen show:

 

If the spoiler was removed it would look pretty good

 

Remove all the Hamman bits, keep the wheels and lowering stuff and we got a winner

 

Yeah, the leading edges of that Hamman stuff look a little cheap to me, and out of character with the rest of the smooth lines on the car. The stock black one on the floor at Ferrari of Dallas I saw last week, with the 20" factory rims looked a lot better IMO. Far be it from me to suggest that anyone ever keep factory rims, since I have 4 complete sets of wheels and tires for my 997,

but the factory 20 inchers looked awesome.

 

Im Impressed with Hamann, I actually love this! Ill take mine without the Spoiler please!

 

That thing is art! Beautiful!!!

 

Hamann lost their touch a long time ago... So as usual, that looks cheap and overdone. I think the car looks much better in stock form.

 

HAMANN stuff is mostly too ghetto in my taste.
the pg2/pg3 were nice wheels but heavy.
some of their products are okay, but most are way outrageous.
i been to Hamann Village in Germany and I can tell you that it's nice to be there. they have a lot of nice cars. I guess they have money to begin with.

 

ok... i think Hamann does not know how to mod cars... they simply makes a car look ugly... i don't mind them making a BMW or something ugly but PLEASE do not touch a Ferrari or a Lamborghini if you don't know what you are doing... its simply a RICE ROCKET this 599...

P.S. Leave the work to Novitec...

 

they do the same thing to every car.....blah

 

Exactly. I hate it when cheap looking aftermarket parts are put on a car like that.

 

remove the wing and it would be nice.

 

I love it. Would be perfect without the wing and some limo tint.

 

Questionable aesthetics aside, I wonder how much windtunnel time Hamann put into this kit.

Tacking a wing on a BMW 3 series is one thing, but when a car produces over 400lbs of downforce at 300kph, I wonder how badly this "aerodynamic" kit affects the car.

Hamman should just stick to wheels on high end cars...