New York: Ferrari 599XX arrives Stateside
by Drew Phillips on Apr 7th 2009 at 11:05PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ferrari 599XX
The first stop for a few of us Autobloggers who just arrived in Manhattan was at the local Ferrari and Maserati dealer where the 599XX racecar that was introduced in Geneva was making its North American debut.
It looks just as mean and aggressive as it did at on the stand at the Geneva Motor Show, and it makes the standard 599 GTB Fiorano look downright ordinary and tame in comparison. The big coupe's bodywork has been reworked with plenty of carbon fiber aerodynamic bits and the interior features a full race cockpit complete with lightweight Alcantara seats and a full roll cage, a marked change from the standard car's leather-lined grand tourer accommodations. Under the hood? A 700 horsepower V12 that revs to eardrum-bursting 9000 rpm.
The 599XX will serve as a testbed for new technologies much like the Ferrari FXX, and those who wish to sample its charms will have to qualify for the exclusive Corse Clienti program that is not only costly (over one million Euros), but limited to select Ferrari clientele. Last year, the program came to the United States twice, but there is no word yet on whether we'll see the 599XX on track here any time soon.
Gallery: New York 2009: Ferrari 599XX
Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc
PRESS RELEASE:
While based on the 599 GTB Fiorano with the same transaxle layout and engine type, this prototype is an extreme track car. Ferrari's engineers have carried out extensive work on the engine's combustion chambers and inlet and exhaust tracts. These modifications, combined with the fact that internal attrition has been reduced and the maximum revs have been boosted to 9,000 rpm, helped achieve the target power output of 700 hp at 9,000 rpm. Particular attention was also paid to cutting the weight of the engine unit components. This was achieved both by optimising forms - as in the new crankshaft - and adopting exclusive materials, as in the carbon-fibre used for the intake plenums. A new gearbox shift strategy cuts overall gearchange times to 60 ms.
The 599XX is characterised by an innovative electronic concept called the "High Performance Dynamic Concept" which has been designed to get the maximum performance from the car by managing the combination of the car's mechanical limits with the potential of its electronic controls. The mechanical and electronic systems work together to get the maximum performance from the car under extreme high performance driving, for consistent lap times. The sporty handling has been improved thanks to the adoption of second generation SCM suspension system. Track usage is also made easier thanks to the new "virtual car engineer", a screen in the car that provides a real-time indication of the vehicle's efficiency.
The 599XX's aerodynamics were honed in numerous wind tunnel test sessions with the result that the car now boasts 280 kg of downforce at 200 km/h (630 kg at 300 km/h). The front underside of the body is completely faired-in and the vents that channel hot air from the engine bay have been moved to the bonnet.
The "Actiflow" system increases downforce and/or cuts drag depending on the car's trim cornering conditions, courtesy of the use of a porous material in the diffuser and two fans in the boot which channel the air flow from under the car out through two grilles next to the tail-lights. Winglets have been added to the rear buttresses to increase downforce. while synthetic jets have also been incorporated into the rear of the car to control and smooth the air flow and to reduce drag.
Ferrari's engineers have also used F1-derived "doughnuts" which partly cover the brake discs and wheel rim. These have the dual function of improving both aerodynamics and brake cooling.
In terms of the bodywork, composites and carbon-fibre have been widely used and the engineers drew on their experience in working with aluminium to reach the weight target. The development of increasingly high-performance materials has also benefited the carbon-ceramic material braking system. The brake pads are now made from carbon-fibre which means that the calipers are smaller whilst guaranteeing the same efficiency. The new racing carbon ceramic braking system also delivers shorter braking distances and is generally more efficient due to the weight saving.
The 599XX comes with slick tyres (29/67 R19 Front and 31/71 R19 Rear) specifically developed to maximise stability in cornering and increase lateral acceleration. They are fitted to 19 x 11J wheel rims at the front and 19 x 12J at the rear.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hike15 11:15PM (4/07/2009)
Why is there a big red nob that says AC fun?
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OzoneGTX 11:38PM (4/07/2009)
That's pretty funny. They were probably in a hurry to write "AC Fan", because I can't think of anything that's very fun with air conditioners.
Just like there's also a button that says "Scrool" instead of "Scroll".
ALEXDB9 11:16PM (4/07/2009)
I'm at a loss for words, stunning machine
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Martin 11:19PM (4/07/2009)
I wanna stick my wang in the tailpipe, that's how sexy I find this car.
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Taglane 11:47PM (4/07/2009)
Interesting.....
You know there will be no Martin/599XX offspring running around 9 months later, right?
pmiddle5 11:38AM (4/08/2009)
There will also not be me and my hand offspring down the road which i consider to be a good thing
shumotoriki 11:34PM (4/07/2009)
what does that brake donut cover do?
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kfj 11:52PM (4/07/2009)
If you look at the pictures from Geneva they have the same covers on them. I wonder if Ferrari tweaked the rotors on the car and they dont want anyone to see them yet
Khanh 6:40PM (4/08/2009)
From the Press Release: "Ferrari's engineers have also used F1-derived "doughnuts" which partly cover the brake discs and wheel rim. These have the dual function of improving both aerodynamics and brake cooling."
Andy 11:37PM (4/07/2009)
Since GM is going under, Ferrari has decided to take over in Dale's memory.
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Metar 5:19AM (4/08/2009)
You guys just have to keep it up with that stupid joke?
Felipe Massa drives Ferrari's F1 car, sporting the number 3. How hard is that to grasp?
eric 11:56PM (4/07/2009)
what dealership/showroom is this? i'm going to the NYIAS this weekend and i'd love to see it.
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davekoifman 12:16AM (4/08/2009)
Ferrari/Maserati show room in manhattan on the SE corner of E 55th and Park Ave.
Mark Goddard 2:15AM (4/08/2009)
Wow! They've actually managed to make an ugly car look even worse. Whatever happened to luscious looking Ferraris? 275GTB? 365GTB/4 (Daytona to you)? 365 GTBB (Boxer)? 330/365 GTC? I could go on.
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Bob 9:54AM (4/08/2009)
Someone left the interns unsupervised for too long.
I agree, this may be the ugliest Ferrari I've ever seen. At first glance I thought it was another horrid Swiss tuner one-off.
pmiddle5 11:41AM (4/08/2009)
its a race car....
abbas350 2:03AM (4/08/2009)
damn it, i just love this car
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Rich 9:49AM (4/08/2009)
Wow.
They out-Hyundaied Hyundai!
Ferrari's have always been so plain looking. Like the original MX-5 or the various generations of Escorts and the 80s and 90s Mustangs. I would never consider them exotic in any way. Now they've produced something outstanding.
Except it's outstandingly bad.
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JDMlover 3:14PM (4/08/2009)
SWEET.
I dont live too far from there so i can go see it !
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