When Dreams Come True: The First Ferrari (599)

Again, thanks for the kind words guys

I'm travelling at the moment...I can't wait to get back to MC. Our first road trip to Modena is planned for next week. I'm sure that it's going to be an amazing experience...plenty of pics will be taken of course

I also bought a nice 599 GTB baseball cap and the 599's brochure at the Ferrari store in Milan...I think I'm becoming a victim of Ferrari marketing!

With the switch activated (and therefore valves always open) start-up sounds the same as the valves open-up on start-up even with the standard setting. The difference is that instead of closing a few seconds after, they remain open.

When idling with the valves closed (as per standard settings) the car sounds nice but quite tame. With the valves open it sounds like a snarling beast. In fact the custodian complained that the noise would wake-up everyone at night (but of course we explained that a switch could quiet the car down)

Once the car gets moving with the “switch on” it sounds amazing across all the whole rev range. With the valves using the standard setting (and therefore only opening after 4000rpm) the car sounds nice but clearly muffled under 4000rpm. Basically with the "switch on" the car is loud (and very symphonic) at all revs. When cruising at constant speed the open valves may create a bit of resonance at highway speeds and therefore if one is seeking the maximum comfort the standard settings can obviously be restored with that little switch. A couple of times the alarms of the cars parked on the streets went off when down-shifting with open valves

I think that this system is fantastic and gets you the best of both worlds as you can decide the loudness of the car depending on the circumstances. We had a similar system on our 911 where the exhaust got louder with the sport button activated...but the car was so quiet without the sport button that we always kept it activated ....and it did sound good...but the 599 takes things to a whole other level.

I also noticed that the accelerator pedal seems to be even more responsive at low RPMs with the valves open...not that you ever feel a lack of responsiveness

My guess is that this mod (which probably isn't too expensive) would work equally well with the HGTE exhaust...or any exhaust system with valves.

Describing the quality of the sound through words is very difficult as it's something you would have to hear for yourself. Videos also don't do exhaust notes any justice either IMO. It's something you have to gear live. If you want, I'd be more than happy to show you the system when you come to Monaco. As far as I'm concerned it's the best option the car came with BY FAR!!




P.S. Parking sensors will be installed (not sure if both front and back yet) and rims changed on Wednesday. Updates will follow.

P.P.S. I bought an iPhone 3GS yesterday...we'll see if it can take some decent videos

 

Thanks Terry!

I just got back to Monaco and spent a good 30mins staring at her in the garage

I'm going to sleep now...can't wait for tomorrow.

I already planned with google maps a nice 3000km (1800miles) inauguration trip for next week (some day after Wednesday). Can't wait

 

Thanks again guys.

Just got back from a long drive.

The first hour or so was fun but then we got stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours on our way home (a lot of people are here for the Tour de France).

Getting in and out of our garage is an absolute nightmare and I managed to slightly scratch a rim today There's a small sidewalk (less than 10cm) next to the entrance ramp to the set of garages under our apartment and I got off it from a less than ideal angle...and scratched a rim. I'm really depressed

I got 3 pieces of wood taped together to help the rim get on and off the sidewalk and that should help. With our 911 this wasn't a a problem as unlike the 599, the tire's rubber somewhat "stuck-out" with respect to the rim and it therefore protected the rim in such circumstances.

I can't wait to change the rims. Apparently chromed rims can't be repaired and therefore we're exchanging them for standard silver challenge rims on Wednesday (i hope that the small scratch wont be problem). That should provide a little peace of mind at least...

 

I'm glad you like the pics


BTW, does anyone know how to change the language of the TFT display?

 

Thanks everyone

I just got back from another nice 2-hour drive in hills behinds Monaco...just where the tour the France went past. Luckily there was no traffic this time.

I'm finally starting to build some confidence with the 599. The car is simply amazing. I really don't know how to describe the experience. Until this afternoon I didn't really understand how beautifully the car handles around bends. In all fairness I still probably didn't push the car past 50% of its limits and I'm certainly not the most experienced driver (best car I drove regularly was our ex-Carrera 4S)...but for what it's worth: I'M AMAZED.

As ridiculous as it might sound the car feels like a little go-kart in the hills around Monaco. It's very agile and very flat around corners as far as I can tell (definitely flatter than our ex-997 4S). The car seems to be very communicative and the steering-feel is also very good.

One thing in particular that I loved about our ex-Porsche 911 4S was that feeling of being on rails...of being glued to the road. Part of this feeling was certainly due to the 997's excellent chassis but also due to the 4WD. I was afraid that the 599 would somewhat loose that feeling of security. I was SO wrong. The car feels absolutely planted at all times. What's also amazing is how the car absorbs imperfections on the road MUCH MUCH better than the 911 (which certainly had a harsh ride) even in Sport mode . I guess that magnetic suspension truly do their work!

Now lets talk about the power....%$££$$!!!!

I thought that our old 997 4S was fast...but the 599 is simply...!!!! I don't know what to say

At 30% of throttle the car feels easily as fast as the 911....but then when you floor it...oh god...I'm lost for words again

It feels like a rocket on wheels. The car has tons of power and torque (you have to love that V12's torque!!! ) across the whole rev range. However, after +/- 6000rpm the engine goes from being ridiculously powerful to...well...even more powerful I love that feeling of being glued to the seat I just hope that it won't throw the earth out of orbit

The sound from the exhaust that accompanies all of this really makes the hair on you neck stand. This is truly an epic experience for me.

What makes the car even more amazing, is that when you're tired of playing you simply close the exhaust valves, put a high gear and quietly cruise at 1000rpm. Truly outstanding.

I'm also amazed by the 599's F1 gearbox. It's truly a work of art.

I'm still struggling a bit with the car's size a though. The car is very wide and on Europeans roads one has to be careful. I'm sure that after a few thousand kilometers one gets used to it.

All this being said, I think that I only scratched the surface of this car's greatness. It gets better and better as the kilometers go by. At the moment I'm more than anything worried about not doing anything stupid and getting used to the car. I'm sure that with time, things can only get better. At the moment everything feels so new and so different from anything that I drove before.

...but IMO the best thing of the 599 is the way that it can make my father look like 15-year old boy (we're always fighting for the driver's seat) He has done so much and really deserves it.

Every time I'm the car there's a sensory overload. Every drive feel very special. Having spent all these years dreaming of Ferrari...and now having one here...it feels surreal.

Ok..sorry....I'll stop now...enough talking

...and another great day with the 599 goes by

 

Thanks F360

By the way, does anyone know how to change the language on the TFT display? Or where to download the instruction booklet(s) in English or Italian? I would imagine that the Ferrari owner's site could have them but I'm having difficulty getting registered. After filling-in all the required information and pressing "continue" I simply get sent back tot the top of the page...grrrrr...

 

Ok...I managed to register on the owner's site after hitting the continue button 1000 times out of frustration...now I have to wait 24 hours as they have to validate the info

Thanks for the info and links Terry. I appreciate it.

The head technician at our local Ferrari dealer told us that he will get us the actual instruction booklets in Italian (for free I would hope) so I'll wait. Hopefully it won't take forever...

Yes, they are ball polished. The dealer told us that they can be repaired but they are significantly more expensive to repair as they may have to be sent elsewhere etc. etc. So, assuming that what he said is true, I'd prefer to have the standard finish as we have to get off a small sidewalk every time we take the car out (even though the wooden plank I made to get off the sidewalk should solve the problem).

Getting four new rims wouldn't cost us anything. The dealership that sold us the car offered to evenly trade our 4 ball-polished rims for some brand new challenge rims with the standard finish that they have laying around. To be honest I don't really mind as I also like the standard finish.

As I mentioned before, the tires of our ex-911 stuck outwards from them rim and therefore offered great protection. With the 599, getting off the smallest sidewalk can endanger the rim.

Here in Europe places (roads, parkings, ramps etc.) can be very narrow for a big car like the 599 and accidents can happen...it just takes a small distraction. The extra peace of mind of knowing that small curb rashes can be easily fixed makes it worth it IMO. The car will get driven a lot and I wouldn't want a small scratch on a rim to be overly dramatic...

P.S. Am I the only one who takes forever to put on the 599's driver's seat-belt? The attachment is almost buried in the seat...

 

I'm going through the instruction booklets at the moment and I love the way that the quick guide says that the difference between the maximum and minimum engine oil level is 2 liters...but the thicker booklet says it's 1.5 liters

Does anyone know the actual figure??