Supercars >Ferrari

 

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Top Speed: 205 mph / 330 km/h
0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
0-100 mph: 6.9 seconds
0 - 1/4 Mile: 11.2 sec.
Engine: V12 620 bhpHP

Ferrari has entered the roads with its most powerful V12-engine car, the 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's Vice General Manager, unveiled the new sports car model at the Detroit Motor Show on the 9th of January 2006 paving a challenging track to its competitors. Fiorano had its first debut in the Geneval Motor Show on February 28,2006. Later, in October 2006, this cute exotic car from the Ferrari family won the ´XIV L´Automobile più Bella del Mondo (The World's Most Beautiful Automobile) award under the category ´Sports cars´ at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy.

Fiorano, the new flagship model that replaced the 575M Maranello, is a two-seater sports car. The Ferrari 599 derives its name from its 5999cc V12 engine displacement. The GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta, the most famous berlinetta that Ferrari has ever made.

The chassis of Fiorano looks more similar to Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, a four-seater fastback coupe from Ferrari; however, Fiorano has a shorter wheelbase. Also, the front midship arrangement of the Fiorano is quite similar to 612 and with the rear transaxle arrangement, it is able to get the 47/53 front/rear weight distribution.

The bodywork of Fiorano is a new concept from Pininfarina, the designer of Fiorano. Pininfarina, who had designed the Ferrari Daytona of the 1970s, was equipped with a great deal of details prior to the designing of the 599 GTB Fiorano. This all-aluminum sports car is built by deriving the engineering from the Formula One (F1) and focussing all the main objectives such as the performance, safety and comfort.

A lot of modifications are made at the Fiorano's engine in order to fit it in the engine bay. The most poweful Enzo-sourced V12 engine from Ferrari is powered with a traditional 6-speed manual transmission along with the 6-speed sequentail mannual gearbox, also called the F1 SuperFast. The MagneRide active suspension system is another important feature that contributes to a smooth driving experience to this sporty vehicle. The new traction control system, called the F1-Trac, is introduced in Fiorano after deriving inspiration from the F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher.

The flying buttress C pillars and the aerodynamic ducting on the hood and the front wings are the most attractive features of this sporty car. The C pillars redirect the airflow over the lip spoiler provided at the rear decklid and thus ensure much higher stability while driving in adverse conditions.

In a brief period of time, Fiorano has conquered the hearts of sporty car fans as well as the outsiders. It is the first Ferrari that is going to appear in the Gran Turismo videogames series; also it is the first European car to be featured as the cover car in Gran Turismo game.

Most powerful V12 berlinetta

The front-mid engined Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano two-seater replaces the 575M Maranello berlinetta (sold in Europe for around 200,000 Euros), of which, together with the 550 Maranello introduced in 1996, some 5,700 units have been produced. On the power side, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano boasts a 6-litre V12, which was derived from the engine that powered the Enzo supercar, developing 620 hp at 7,600 rpm.

With an Alcoa all-aluminium space frame chassis and bodywork, weight-power ratio remains under 2.6 kg/hp. The new model is named Fiorano after the circuit Ferrari uses to test the performance of its track and road cars; the GTB comes as in Gran Turismo Berlinetta; and 599 for the 5999 cc of its V12 engine.

Nothing can express performance like figures. The new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 205 mph.

Figures are expressed in the technical specification of the engine too: 5999 cm3 displacement getting a specific power output of 103 hp/litre, and that’s without any direct or turbocharging. Such a figure is a first for a naturally aspirated production engine of this displacement.

The Fiorano’s engine delivers a maximum torque of 448 lbs-ft at 5,600 rpm, pulling the car well at almost any engine speed. The twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank come with continuously variable timing on both inlet and exhaust cams to optimise torque delivery and drivability at both low and high revs. Chain driven distribution reduces noise and is maintenance-free, while the twin-plate, low inertia clutch in unit with the engine helps lower the centre of gravity.