Spy shots of Ferrari 599 GTO test mule

A spy shot of the Ferrari 599 GTO

Ferrari has confirmed that it will be releasing the 599 GTO. It is essentially a road version of the built-for-the-track Ferrari 599XX, and this is the first time the Prancing Horse automaker has used the GTO nameplate since the letters were first used on the iconic ’60s-era 250 GTO and the 288 GTO that followed two decades later and laid the groundwork for the F40, the beginning of the modern age of Ferrari supercars. Now the name is set to come back again on an extreme version of the 599 GTB Fiorano.

Official details behind the car are still being kept secret by Ferrari but those who are in-the-know have said that the car’s 6.0-liter V12 engine will develop an estimated 700 horsepower thanks to an increased rev limit of 9,000 rpm-88 hp over the standard 599. It will be derived from the Ferrari Enzo, which, if accurate, should give the 599 GTO a top speed of somewhere in the neighborhood of 220 mph and a 0-60 mph time of around 3.2 seconds. It is also set to have quicker gearchanges than the standard 599 GTB at just 60 milliseconds (down from 100 milliseconds), a 0.5-second-faster time.

A fearless observer in Maranello with a camera handy appears to have snapped a camouflaged prototype out in plain view. Besides yards of white vinyl and black tape telling you something’s up, this 599 test mule is wearing big black alloys, a blacked-out roof (like that of the 599XX, without the extra winglets), a monster rear diffuser and Provo-style factory plates. Beyond that there’s little to tell, but this is the first evidence we have beyond rumors and guesses as to what Maranello is up to next.

The Ferrari 599 GTO is expected to make an appearance at the Geneva International Motor Show in March and is rumored to be headed out to dealerships in the succeeding months on a limited run of just 500 total units with a price tag that is expected to fall just bit under half-a-million dollars ($464,950).

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Source: autoblog.com, topspeed.com and insideline.com

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