High-speed Test of 599GTB

No it isnt.

In the early days of performance cars, 0-60 became a benchmark for fast cars to prove their speed. Since that time, a number of factors have rendered 0-60 irrelevent. The most important of these factors is four wheel drive. Physics entails that four spinning wheels will always grip better than two. Hence, nobody and I mean nobody who knows anything about cars rates 0-60 as anything more than a point of interest.

Even if your comment was sarcasm, you should know that sarcasm doesnt work on the net.

Not without a ... !

 

I thought it was obviously sarcastic.
Sorry to offend you.....

 

No, they didn't. Today I received the issue of auto motor und sport with the test (#23, 10/25/06) via air mail from Germany. Read the whole article. I found it disappointing because they don't write anything substantive about the cars; just aural impressions as some of the cars blast past at top speed, how great the LP640 sounds, how the 599 is sreaming at 8000 rpm, stuff like this.

One thing about the 599, however. I am suspicious that it was a specially-prepared car, by the factory, with higher than regular production-car performance. Ferrari sent an entire factory team to the test to take care of the car. There is a photo of the car with one red-suited mechanic sticking his head under the hood, another standing right next to him and -- here is the suspcious if not outright funny part -- a third pushing the hood down onto the shoulder of the guy sticking his head under the hood. The hood-holder guy is also staring in the direction of the photographer with an obvious scowl. It looks like he's pushing the hood down on the mechanic's shoulder to discourage the journalist from taking a picture of what's going on under the hood.

It wouldn't be the first time that Ferrari had sent a factory special to a test. Unfortunately, the factory has a reputation for doing that -- as if they needed it.

Bottom line, I don't believe the 599 acceleration results are representative of production cars. They are better, probably by a 1 second or more in the 0-200 km/h (0-124 mph) category.

 

Did the other cars have factory teams too?

 

...According to r-e-n-n-t-e-a-m, the numbers may be mixed between the 599gtb and SLR....

 

Ferrari sent the team to make sure the car was given proper treatment.
For your knowledge (or maybe lack of it) first time when AMS tested the car , thy used 95 RON fuel. LOL

For your consideration, when Autocar drove the Veyron, Bugatti sent a team there too, including a transmission engineer, who rode with the Autocar editor.

Your explanation about the role of the team working under the hood is hilarious. IF I repeat IF Ferrari would have sent a specially prep car , it would have been way easier to make a little mods to the ECU straight from the factory, it didn`t need a whole team. Just use your brain.

BTW , are you kind to point out the occasion when Ferrari delivered faster press cars.

 

The Bugatti is starting to push the limits of the forces our bodies can tolerate. I can see where passengers will suffer internal injuries if they don't prepare for those braking and cornering forces. I remember being a passenger in a Kremer 962 when the driver hit the brakes hard, I had a headache for the rest of the day. Nice stuff, incredible engineering!

 

And the vid:
http://www.need4speed.ws/Bugatti-Veyron-400-kmh.html

 

how can a car with near 1000 lbs extra over a CGT accelerate even close to the same?

 

Would using 98 RON fuel result in substantially better performance?

 

I pity all those who think this test means anything. It is clear that ferrari had to send a team to make sure everything is ok and its full potential is used..as for some comment about z06 and lp640 being quicker is inaccurate. the Z06 is in the 30-31 sec mark to 300 by individuals who performed using professional equipment in texas, it only makes me believe those germans dont know how to drive.

It is very fishy to see a full team trying to support the f599, which can only mean its a ringer...

I think this test doesnt prove anything, just because its in an F car favour so to say every one is praising it and taking it soo seriously, but if this same test wouldnt have gone in their way, the tables would have turned. I think the test results for the FGT, Z06 and SLR seem to be inaccurate, somehow even the F599 seems to be a little too quick,

What would be awesome is, if people have the balls and the cars, to do a test on their on terms on an airstrip and show us the results, its been a while since i took any mags seriously, especially stuff coming from the other side of the pond.

You guys must be thinking i am against ferrari, but you are entirely wrong, I love sports cars period dont care for a particular brand and F, P, L, Z etc etc mean the same to me...so i am making a decision based on that i love all cars and i think this test is quite a sad one at that..

 

So Rennteam has suddenly become authority in something??

the person with the car has an open challenge (10k worth) unfortunately none of the owners of either a turbo or F599 have the balls to try him out knowning very well what might happen...please give credit where its due, the Z06 is super quick and is in F599 range acceleration wise and will rip it on the track, no wonder ferrari never runs on the ring, wondering what would happen if the world figured what the times really were...its a shame, thats y they quote times from their track where no one else can try a hand with thier cars..

 

You sir, are an idiot !

The Z06 maybe quick, but Fiorano`s little brother the F430 kick it`s butt in EVERY comparo :

Road & Track :

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/WorldSuperpowersTrack.pdf

acc, handling whatever F430

Autozeitung , again Z06 owned by the F430 (acc, track)

http://www.autozeitung.de/index.php?page=4er-vergleichstest&action=detail&id=1766&tb=8&current=3

Auto Bild :

http://www.autobild.de/test/neuwagen/artikel.php?artikel_id=11677&artikel_seite=2

Car and Driver :

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/11329/2006-ferrari-f430.html

Can you point out a SINGLE example of head 2 head comparo between F430 and Z06 where the Vette is faster: straighline, track aso ???

Don`t bother to search , there isn`t any.

Now, in case you didn`t notice, the F430 is not even close to the level of performance of Fiornao.

How can you put pathethic fanboy replies like that ?

Those are called FACTS (maybe you need a dictionary) and I gave several examples, both from European mags aswell as American ones.

Don`t be stooopid , the F599, it`s 10 classes above.

 

I dont need to search, you still didnt answer my Q, why doesnt Ferrari run on "the ring" ?? Are they scared what will happen if people find out that the 911 Turbo is quicker around the ring than the F430 or the Z06 kicks both these cars butt back to timbuktu on that same track? What??

Z06's time is 7:42.9 which is as close as it can get to the CGT, it is as quick as 996 GT3 RS and another C6R driver commented he could drive it faster around the ring after his unofficial visit in the Z06 to the ring. I am sure the F430 would be better than the Gt3 RS which is a full on track car from porsche and it would also whopp 360 stradale's butt too which btw wasnt even in the 40s on the ring, it was in the 50s. Please just because its ferrari doesnt make it awesome, thought i agree owning a ferrari is an experience i wouldnt compare to owning a porsche or a z06, but to say that F430 would beat a z06 is pure bind foldedness and nothing else. I love cars and will have a F430 in the coming years but that doesnt stop me from saying that currently in performance arena there is hardly anything exotic(not talking super exotic like Zonda and CGT or Enzo) that can match the Z06...sorry no matter what you come up with...

 

What makes that improper testing gear please tell me and what makes AMS's testing gear proper, why cant i think they were trying to forge the test results here??? Every car mag has their fav company and AMS could be favouring the italians..who knows if you have proof otherwise let me see it..

It is much better when people see official times from the company themselves..we have to agree that 911 turbo is quicker around a track than the F430, then we also have to agree that the Z06 is quicker than the 911 turbo around a track (got from ring times, the car was 5.5 sec slower), as is this was a high speed and acceleration test in that department its hard to say that the Z06 wouldnt hit it in 32-33sec mark to 300, i would mind admitting that F599 could be a sec or so quicker to that point but anything more is just ridiculous...

 

They dont run at the Ring ( Which isnt entirely true, they do but not nearly as much as Porsche, MB or even Corvette do ) because they own their own track. Ferrari is a small boutique and cant afford to have their own track and not use it plus having a full time team at the ring all year long.

 

Crazi4Speed, for God's sake . . . Give the guys a break and try to stop and think about what various people are telling you here. You seem like a pretty smart guy, just try to look at the issue from another perspective.


First:

Anyone with 15 Euros and a vehicle (car, van, SUV, motorcycle) can enter the Nordschleife. Do you think it makes sense for Ferrari not to test the F430 there so that people "don't find out" that it's slower than a 997TT? The F430 could indeed be slower than a 997TT around the Nordschleife, but it would be a VERY hard secret to keep! So there is no conspiracy here and I think you have to look for another explanation as to why Ferrari doesn't base its testing on the Nordschleife, but rather on Fiorano. Several such explanations were offered. Pick one or propose a new one.


Second:

No offence to Vette lovers, but American cars in general are mostly (notice mostly, there are exceptions) about straight line speeds with unsophisticated suspensions and torquey engines that don’t rev very high and don’t produce as much horsepower per liter as they could. This is neither good nor bad, it is simply the way things are. It’s just like saying that Porsche prefers the dynamics of flat engines, or that Ferrari uses high-revving, high HP/liter engines at the expense of torque.


These differences between sports cars should be recognized and celebrated. Every brand has a different approach to speed. We, as car enthusiasts, should recognize the differences and learn to appreciate each brand for what it’s good at. I own a modern Ferrari, but my jaw still drops when I see a Z06 at speed. It’s a sight that any car enthusiast likes to see.


A Z06 will probably gain on an F430 in the straights, but an F430 will be faster around the twisty bits. Richard Hammond (wishing him a speedy recovery after his accident) once said that an American car stands before a corner and says: “Hmmm, I wonder what that is?”. I think this is very true indeed.

You’d be missing out on truly enjoying sports cars if you don’t learn to admit, accept and respect those differences. Again, it’s not only about numbers, it’s about feel, handling dynamics, engine noise, acceleration, top speed, steering sensitivity, comfort and many many little things.

Sorry for the long message, but this issue has been bothering me for a while now.

(All IMHO, of course)

 

*golf clap for Omar*


Well put! The 599 Tour was by here yesterday...beautiful machines.

My favorite Uncle has owned Ferraris and now drives a Corvette. I started with Pontiac Trans Ams and now drive Ferraris......search for meaning in that!

 

Here's the video of the test. Not a lot on the GTB but have a look at the Veyron going past at 252mph WOW!!
http://www.autoclips.net/index.php