599 project,rebuild/track day car

Hi. I ve just purchased a 2008 599 gtb, that has a story to tell that didn't end well, it got driven through a deep puddle/partially flooded road after a helpful policeman said it was ok, unfortunately it wasn't so and it ingested some water hydrolocking the engine, not great for the owner/insurer , but great for me as i have been on the look out for a great club car /fast road car to replace my 575 manual , so its engine out and off we go, after that i am open to ideas, but id like to start with some GTO wheels, suspension(perhaps HGTE) secondary cat bypass , GTO bonnet perhaps, Half cage and 5 point belts, and i love the look of the pre evo 599xx trunk lid(we say boot lid down here) rear spoiler .So any and all thoughts ,both positive and negative would be greatly welcomed, its my intention to end up with a car that has that 'Evoluzione' look about it, i`ve always had a hankering for something bespoke and wild like a 288 evoluvione , we have some very skilled people here like Rod Tempero who builds high end replica 250 GTO`s and P3/4 most of which are for wealthy american clients , along with doing some beautiful concourse restorations, Ive spoken with him about putting the XX style vents/grills in both the front bonnet and tops of both front guards, in a normal world i would consider this sacrilege but the car has a salvage title and no real provenance any more so i feel free to do as i please,
so with all that said , please chime in with your thoughts and experiences/knowledge
Regards Todd

 

Don't forget the track aero kit option: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/612-599/433731-599-gto-subtle-mods.html

Second last post has the link

 

are you saying you think those parts are available ex factory, if so i`d be very keen, and how would you check, i know they aren`t in just any parts listings

 

Most of us have seen an Fchatters track aero kit on their GTO on this forum (I'm guessing that it must cost a fortune). In some respects it detracts from the classic lines of the 599 (including the GTO). The full track aero kit does make the GTO look at bit more like an XX but it also looks a bit "kit like" (for lack of a better characterization). Personally I think the new F12 Speciale (or whatever it will be called) has a front fascia and winglets that just don't look very good on the car. Those winglets are incredibly important for downforce but that doesn't help us in appreciating their aesthetic appeal. I think if you turn a 599GTB into a wannabe 599XX for street use it will just look a bit out there (like the Liberty Walk 458). Again, its just my humble opinion, but I think the GTB with a few GTO enhancements can look sporty yet still be classy. When you start adding all of the winglets (again like in the new F12 Speciale variant assuming the posted photos are semi-accurate) you just detract from the classic lines that brought us to the marque to begin with. The 599 body is such an incredibly classic looking front engine V12 I really don't think it stands up to all of the crazy add-ons. I think its for this reason that nobody has turned a GTO into a full fledged XX with all of the incredibly expensive full body add-ons. Maybe that real true street conversion of the GTB/GTO into the XX is out there but I have never seen it. I also think its why you don't see more than a couple of Enzos that have been converted to street legal FXX's (ie. the Edo conversions). Bottom line is that, aesthetics aside, I'd bet that the add-ons to convert a GTB to an XX like look cost as much or more than the donor car itself. That all being said - go for it and lets see lots of pics when you are done !!!

 

They must have taken it down but it was available from ferrari which included the front spoiler, rear wing, c pillars in carbon. Plus I think it had the 599xx winglets on it as well?

It was designed for track use but wasn't road legal. Plus apparently it had worse down force at higher speeds or something like that.

 

Aus based 599 GTO with the kit.
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Simon and Stephen, thanks for the input, i like your approach, it could look all wrong if you got to carried away, i cant wait to get it apart and get into it, as soon as we have assessed the internal damage we will have a better idea of what to do next, but first things on my list are ride height,suspension/handling, exhaust note , and wheels, have started to get pricing on the GTO wheels, Next and probably whilst we do the engine,will be the bonnet/hood i really like the triple vent as seen on the xx cars but would gladly settle for a GTO bonnet if i can find one, all of which is off the rack and achievable ,but the thing i want the most is a really nice ,proportionate , duck tail spoiler for the rear, this seems like it may have to be fabricated as i cant find one , again any thoughts or advice welcomed

 

Pictures??

 

yes ,pictures will come next week as soon as we get a start

 

Kiwifaza, here are some recommended modifications for the 599 if you are looking to make the car more aggressive.

Exhaust system:
- Full 599 GTO exhaust system (6-1 manifolds, centre pipes, mufflers)

ECU:
- Novitec Rosso power optimised ECU's
Or 599 GTO engine mapping and TCU software (if viable)

Air filters:
- BMC Air filters

Suspension:
- GTO suspension conversion
- HGTE suspension conversion

Brakes:
- Upgrade to standard CCM discs if not already fitted
- If so, stainless steel braided brake lines & Motul RBF 660

Exterior:
GTO exterior parts (bumpers, skirts, etc)
GTO wheels w/ Michelin Pilot Super Sport K1

Ferrari Genuine XX aero package

 

Trygve11 would be proud, let'***** 50 pages on this thread shall we ?

 

not sure i have his courage, he`s in a league of his own,

 

Great news today, I got to speak to the unfortunate previous owner today,who as it turns out is a Fchat user himself, and the news is indeed great, very very little water in the cabin,only just enough to get up to the carpet, but not enough to be puddling above the carpet line ,so the electric seats etc were untouched, fortunately when it happened two bystanders pushed the car from the water without him or his wife having to open there doors,very lucky indeed and great to here the whole story from the owner himself, in short he was waived through by a helpful but insistent police officer,who got it wrong, and the car stopped and was pushed within minutes from the water,don't get me wrong , we still have work to do but its no where as bad as it could have been, pick up is tomorrow so will start posting some pics soon

 

I think ordering GTO parts will be somewhat difficult without a GTO chassis number as my understanding is Ferrari don't want a whole bunch of GTO clones running around.

 

I think you are wright, but they do sell an aero pack which looks just awesome, have asked for a price, I know its going to be a lot!!

 

You said you like the 599XX pre Evo kit, so check Vorsteiner, they have a kit that is an homage to the 599XX:

Vorsteiner 599-VX Tuning Program

 

I totally understand what you are saying, however, I have seen many images/videos of standard 599's that have been equipped with GTO parts or fully converted to GTO specification.

GTO wheels can be purchased through Ferrari Genuine I believe, or Eurospares has a gloss black set for sale.

 

To be honest I'd look at the Vorsteiner kit. It'll be a lot cheaper than genuine Ferrari parts and looks pretty damn good, it takes a lot of inspiration from the 599XX.

I'd install Sabelt GT600 seats (same as the ones in 430 Challenge) + harness.

Add in 6-1 exhaust (from Brilliant, if possible!) for that XX soundtrack. After the cats I'd go with a custom titanium straight pipe (that exit from the same position as the XX with the Vorsteiner bumper).

New bushes in the suspension from Delrin (very solid, but avoid squeeks). Centerlock conversion (lighter), proper suspension (Intrax makes a very good kit).

I'd get rid of the stock heavy doors and get a carbon expert to make proper prepeg dry carbon ones with ''F40 style'' inards, i.e. open with a bit of rope.

Upgrade gearshift software and neccessary hardware to GTO spec for much faster shifts.

Finish it off with alcantara in the interior. Leather, bare carbon and race seats doesn't work...

If you're going to do it, do it right!

Some inspriration:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA7XnhyS6FM[/ame]
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Also want to add, I wouldn't do a GTO copy because I see little point. It's not a real one then. Might as well be brilliant and absolutely ****ing awesome, whilst people know you didn't copy a GTO.

 

I take your point about a GTO copy the Vosteiner kit looks pretty wild , I wonder how much,will inquire thanks for the input. just watced that video , What a sound!!!!! i`ve not heard of "brilliant" before ,of to check it out, thanks again

 

599-VX Aerodynamics - edo competition



I just checked the Brilliant website. exhausts are 1.35m yen! That's quite expensive...Plenty of good shops around in NZ who can make a very good exhaust for a better price. Not sure how close you are to Rotorua but there's a very good fabricator who primarily works on RB30's but does lots of state of the art custom work, and makes fantastic exhaust manifolds. Check out ripsltd.co.nz. Rob will almost certainly be able to make you complete exhausts + 6-1 manifolds well under the price of the Brilliant exhaust and Vorsteiner exhaust...

 

That's quite the vision. Respect.

There's basically 3 options. Option above. GTO style with or wothout aero kit or go for the full 599xx parts if you can somehow.

 

I am not sure i need any more HP`s,but you guys all seem pretty keen on the 6-1 headers, is it just a noise/sound thing ? or is it the performance gains, if its just the sound, well then i get it, I am all about the sound!!!, for me a car is all about three things, What you see, What you feel,What you hear, so if someone has had experiance with both GTO and GTB ,PLEASE chime in, i am all ears

 

You'll also get a bit of extra power, but the 6-1 manifold will give it the XX soundtrack it (in my opinion) needs.

 

OEM pair of GTO headers were $12k USD last time I checked.