Ferrari 599 GTO (2011)

The name, “GTO” (Gran Turismo Omologata) instantly calls to mind two Ferraris that have entered the collective imagination as symbols of performance. After the 1962 250 GTO, which swept the boards in GT racing categories in the 1960s and is now a highly prized collector's car, came the iconic 1984 288 GTO, which pretty much invented the entire modern supercar genre. The 599 GTO is the most recent GTO. Ferrari has only given this name to 3 cars and each GTO was based on a circuit car - the 599 GTO was based on the 599 GTB Fiorano chassis but is essentially the road-going version of the 599XX track car.

The 599 GTO weighs 100 kg less than the standard GTB by a severe diet in a similar manner to other recent Ferrari lightweight models such as the 430 Scuderia. The 599 GTO is visually aggressive thanks to styling elements derived from the 599XX - but it's not all for show. Thanks to concepts transferred from the track car to the road-going version, the GTO generates downforce of 144 kg at 200 km/h. The entire car has received design revisions over the standard GTB including the front, the sides, the flat underbody and the cooling flows. In the latter instance, the GTO can count on improved ducting to the brake discs and pads, and the adoption of 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 to reduce drag; again, a feature borrowed straight from the FXX.

When produced in 2011, Ferrari announced that the 599 GTO was their fastest road car ever, able to lap the Fiorano test circuit in 1 minute 24 seconds, one second faster than the Ferrari Enzo. Its engine produces a staggering 661 bhp at 8,250 rpm, with 460 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm. The 599 GTO can sprint to 62 mph in under 3.35 seconds whilst easily reaching a top speed of over 208 mph.