328 GTS owner's drive in a day-old 599GTB

Thanks to a fellow F-chatter who picked up his brand-new 599GTB yesterday, I was treated to an opportunity to ride in AND drive the newest V12 supercar from Ferrari. As an automotive journalist, car hobbyist and 328 GTS owner, it is an experience I will not soon forget.

For all those who have questioned the 599's looks after looking at photos, which includes me, I am happy to report that in the flesh the car is elegant and muscular. This specific example's Rubino (ruby red) exterior simply adds to the dramatic lines, offering a deep luxury to the sporting character.

Unlike F-cars of the past, such as my 328, the 599 conforms to high levels of ergonomic quality. No need to drop, tilt, spin, hover and shimmy to get behind the controls on this car...just sit and throw the legs around. Even a lady in a skirt can enter and exit gracefully. Buckets are extremely supportive. Headroom remains tight for those of us who shop in the XL and XL-Tall racks.

With the transmission in automatic mode, the 599 could be used every day for the rush hour commute. Throw the steering wheel control to race, though, and the whole world changes.

Entering the freeway under full throttle, the paddle shifters select gears immediately with a jolt. Standing on it again at 70 mph, and before I knew it, we were at 130 mph. Without looking at the speedo, I would have guessed 80, because the car is so compliant.

If you're thinking the 599 GTB is like a Daytona, you're equal and opposite. Steering is light at low speeds and stiffens up as the car accelerates. It also delivers perfect weight as the wheel gets off center.

To drive-home how easy the car is to drive, we hooked-up my accelerometer for a 0-60 run. With less than 12 hours behind the wheel (and an extra 200-lbs of me riding shotgun,) the car hit its mark in just 3.55 seconds. Ladies and gentlemen, that's faster than a Hemicuda or L88 Corvette by almost a full second. While it feels fast, it is not the crazy tire-smoking, hold-on for dear life event of muscle car launches.

What the 599 GTB lacks in X-chromosone antics, it fully makes up for with elegant sports car experience. Plant the throttle, roll down the windows and listen to that glorious V12. Then there's that handling delivered from a platform more ridgid than Laura Bush during a sex eduction class. And don't let that front-placed engine cover fool you, this car is actually mid-engined, since the V12 is actually placed low and behind the front wheels.

Keep the windows up and drive it like a Lexus, and it will respond with a quiet, soothing GT experience. Grab the reigns and the 599 GTB is a supercar on steroids.

So if you're like me and can only afford a 20-year old F-car...start planning for 2027. You'll want one of these, trust me.

(pictures coming soon)

In other words, it's the perfect car to drive across Europe then onto a track to clean the clocks of lesser Lamborghinis, Porsches and F40s.

 

Pete,
Interestingly enough, I thought about the Continental GT when I was driving and riding in the 599GTB. You're spot-on -- this car is as comfortable and refined as a Bentley, but floor the throttle and put it in race mode, and it comes alive (screaming like a banshee.)

It is soft, but can be tight and loud. It's about as dual-purpose as seems physically possible.

But for those of us with 3x8s, Testarossas and other classic sports cars, it almost seems too soft and comfortable to be a true supercar -- but it is.

 

The issue that automakers face is: Do you make a supercar better by enabling it to be driven every day?

This is something that hobbyists like us are really debating. Is the 599 a rocketship? Yes. Is it a supercar as defined by its performance? Absolutely.

Now -- is the 599 comfortable? Sure. And is it easy to drive in traffic? Actually, yup.

All of these are things that we all want in a car.

The issue now becomes -- would we rather feel like we're in a traditional supercar (ie -- getting beat-up by the car and feel like we've achieved something by driving it)??? That's something entirely different.

The 599 doesn't have that raw appeal. If it did, though, it wouldn't be a good daily or frequent driver. That's where the Hemicuda/Corvette L88 comment came in. Those cars were really fast, but they were nearly unusable as street transportation. (The L88 carried a high octane warning sticker on the console!)



As for the mid-engine comment -- yes, the industry-standard terminology is front-mid-engined. No, Corvettes have never come close to classifying as front-mid-engined. The engines have moved back with time, and since the C5, the weight distribution is almost perfectly 50-50, but the engines are still over the front wheels.

Personally, I like the raw appeal of cars. I'm one of those people who like to feel connected to the car. On the other hand, if I could have just one car for both sport and GT duties, Ferrari has made the best sports/GT combo ever. It might not feel the best or look the best, but by sheer numbers, it seems to be among the best ever.

 

I just wanted to add some of the test drive data from the G-Timer:

Time to:
50mph- 2.87sec
60- 3.55
70- 4.25
80- 5.25
90- 6.20

1/8th mile- 7.65 @ 87.7mph
60' 1.98 sec

Now keep in mind, this was with two people in the car, and done with a simple "stop, then hit the gas" type of launch. No launch control, warming the tires etc...

The 599's numbers are extremely impressive!

 

I'll agree that the 599 isn't as exotic looking as F-cars of the past. Last summer I had an interesting discussion with Paolo Garella of Pininfarina on this subject.

One thing that isn't apparent until you see the 599 in person is how wonderful and elegant the fine details are, such as the wonderful aerodynamic stylings and the sculpted dash/vent forms.

With perfect conditions I think 0-60 in 3-flat is possible!