We just picked up a 599 with a manual tranny and I have heard a couple different #'s as to how many were actually built. If you have seen one, let me know where and the color combo so I can keep a running count. Thanks
Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo has a black one for sale. How do you like it? Have you driven an F1 to compare?
How about this: instead of the numerous postings and counts, can you start a poll, from 599 owners, and that would be a an easier research item for this site? If we can see the posters, then checking the actual numbers might be easier.
I would be up for a pole if someone knows how and the best way to view it. I have driven the 355, 360, 430 in the F1's and personally feel that if it was for track use, the F1 rules. But for street use, I find myself really missing a clutch and a shift lever. The 599 in a manual is a tricky machine to drive. It has a very light fly wheel and the rpm's rev and drop so quickly that it makes shifting up and down smoothly pretty challenging. But it is also very rewarding when you get it down.
Interesting. I was told that the 599 with a manual was not a particularly good match-- that you could really tell that the engine management was designed to work in concert with the F1-- and that seems to confirm it. I know the black car at Tonkin is for sale because the owner, a die hard manual guy, decided he wanted an F1 in the 599. Maybe this thread could be a sticky, like the 612 Sessanta thread?
one for sale http://ferrari-maserati-houston.ebizautos.com/detail-2007-ferrari-599_gtb_fiorano-3054435.html
Good luck with your running count! They are by far the rarer of the versions, vs. the F1....I am sure Ferrari can confirm production numbers of each type of transmission ordered... Interested to see so many six speeds available on the market though...
There is also a very similar car w/ standard seats (I'm not sure about the parcel shelf) out of California.
I heard, a while back, that the number of manual 599s that would make it to the United States would be around 20 cars. I think that sounds about right considering the handful we've all seen in the last few years.
another one for sale http://foreigncarsitalia.cms.dealer.com/used_vehicle_details.htm?vehicleId=7a723a997f00000100c7f38ccc3fb96e
Ok, here is the list so far. I appreciate all your input. 07 - black/black Utah - Ours 07 - black/black Oregon - Ron Tonkin 07 - silverstone/saddle Illinois - Continental Autosports 07 - rubino/beige Texas - Ferrari of Houston 08 - silver/black-red North Carolina - Foreign cars Italia Does anyone know of any privately owned ones?
I'm keeping a running tab (or everything!) as well. Are you interested in US cars only, or all manual 599s around the world...?
I am most interested in the US cars. I had heard a couple different #'s, they were around the 10-12 range and I was just trying to verify.
So far... Black/black in Utah. Red/black that was for sale at Hunting Ridge, 3/08. Black, seen at FoCNJ. Grigio Silverstone, for sale at Ferrari of Washington, 8/07. Black/black in San Francisco. Rosso Rubino/beige, for sale at Ferrari of Houston, 9/08. Argento Nürburgring/black, for sale at Foreign Cars Italia, 9/08. Those are the only three-pedal cars I know of here in the states. The one you said you just picked up in Utah - is it black/black, red tachometer, leather and suede Recaros, carbon fiber shift knob, Challenge wheels, red calipers, shields, and carbon ceramic brakes...?
Can you give me your opinion on the 599 with the manual transmission. What do you like or dislike about it? Thanks.
Personally, I LOVE this car. It is my favorite Ferrari that I have driven so far. It is definitley a drivers car. I say that in the sense that its a little tricky to drive (shift). The RPM's drop (and raise) so quickly when the clutch is pushed in that it makes shifting it smooth, pretty dificult at first. After you get the hang of it, it is sooo rewarding. I found that unless I was "tracking" a Ferrari, I lost some of the fun of driving if it had the F1 tranny. One of the things that made Ferrari's great early on, was the experience of going through the gears with a gated shifter. I still feel this way.
Evo: Thanks for the reply. Can you elaborate on that? Do you find the transmission notchy, have tendency to grind a gear when it is cold, etc? BTW, I agree with your track versus street comparison. I do not track cars.
