Ferrari 599XX debut in New York

Last April 7th, Tuesday in Manhattan, New York at the local Ferrari and Maserati dealer on the South East corner of 55th street and Park Avenue the 599XX and the 599 GTB Fiorano with the Handling GTE package that was introduced in Geneva was making their North American debut.

The 599XX looks just as mean and aggressive as it did 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.

The 599XX is strictly a track car and not for any kind of competition. Thus freed of all forms of law, Ferrari says it fitted the 599XX to the extreme with the best of its R & D for the street and Formula One technologies, including an engine bolstered to 700 hp and 9,000 rpm. It also gets lighter engine parts, including a new crankshaft, and the gearbox has been revised to produce shifts as fast as 60 milliseconds.

The 599XX records a Fiorano lap time of 1 minute, 17 seconds, and Ferrari said it’s organizing a program of dedicated track events for 2010-11 to allow for testing of the car. Expect about 20 to 30 of these to be made and to cost about $1.2 million each.

The 599XX will serve as a testbed for new technologies much like the Ferrari FXX, and those who wish to sample it will have to qualify for the exclusive Corse Clienti programme that is not only costly, 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.

The 599 with the Handling GTE package gets a new grille, tweaked V12 engine software and a tuned transmission for faster shifts. It adds about $25,000 to the sticker price. GTE stands for Gran Turismo Evoluzione.

The Ferrari California was also shown, ahead of its arrival in showrooms in June in North America.

What do you think about the pictures of the Ferrari 599XX? Leave a comment.